Look Away
by Strike To Incinerate
Summary: Akira begins drinking, and Aoi becomes his reluctant angel. Will she be able to help him, or will he succeed in pushing her away? Akira Yuki x Aoi Umenokouji. Virtua Fighter
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Alright... I know, I don't support this pairing, and I stand by it... but I couldn't help writing them one little obligatory fanfiction, especially since they're supposed to be childhood friends and all. I like childhood friends; it's kind of overrated, but it's cute.

Please, no complaining about the way I characterize Akira. He doesn't have much personality to begin with, and he doesn't seem to show much interest in Aoi. In roder to make this work for me, I had to give him, um, unfortunate circumstances. Plus, I like writing angst. Woot! Also; Sweetsong, newcomer to the VF forum, mentioned she liked this pairing, and described Akira as 'the bad rebel without a cause'. Whatever works.

Yes, I did make Akira a bit younger, so I could point out the age difference, but still write the pairing without people going, "EEEW HE'S OLD ENOUGH TO BE HER DAD". I know I totally would.

Anyway, here we go with the 'Obligatory' Akira/Aoi fanfiction.

--

Look Away

An Akira/Aoi fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.

--

"Tell me I'm a bad man,

Kick me like a stray.

Tell me I'm an angel,

Take this to my grave."

My Chemical Romance - 'House of Wolves'

--

Aoi heard the phone ring from the living room, and left the half-finished flower arrangement to go and answer it. Sometimes, she felt like a secretary; Midoriko was always too busy not-doing something to answer the phone, Shiroi slept all the time, their father was always teaching, and their mother... well, she couldn't be bothered. Aoi wanted to do something with her life other than answer the phone, go to school, go to the World Martial Arts Tournament, lose, come home, repeat. The cycle was starting over again.

It was on the fourth ring when she finally answered it, and forced a smile and a cheerful voice as she said, pressing it to her ear, "Hello, this is the Umenokouji residence!"

The voice was soft, but firm and male... older than the boys Aoi usually sat next to at school. "Is Aoi-san there?" he asked.

Aoi paused. No one ever called for her... Aside from Miharu, and that was rare. Only when Miharu didn't want to run errands by herself. "This is she," she replied, leaning against the wall. Actually, it was a good thing that she had answered the phone. She didn't know what would happen if her father or her sisters answered it to find an older guy calling for her. "Who is this?" she asked.

"Ah... That's not very important," he mumbled.

"Then I'm hanging up," Aoi decided.

"Wait, don't. It's about Yuki Akira..." the voice implored.

Aoi paused, but she didn't hang up the phone. Someone was calling her on the behalf of Akira. Part of her was angered; Akira never bothered to even wave hello to her at the tournaments, and now he couldn't bother to call her himself. But still... they had been friends once, more than ten years ago, and she was interested. "Fine, what is it?"

"He needs your help. Can you meet us somewhere?" the voice asked.

Aoi gave a nod, and then answered, "Yes." After writing down the information, she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her father's car keys and left.

At least this was a break from the monotony of her life.

--

"Thank you for meeting us, Aoi-san," the man told her, making a bow. He seemed familiar to the college student, as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't place her finger on it. He didn't look too different from every other mid-thirties man in Osaka, either, if only a little more handsome. It was possible that she was mistaking him for someone else.

She placed one hand on her hip, and asked, "Where's Yuki? I don't see any 'us'."

"It's probably better if he stays inside while we talk," the man said.

Aoi rolled her dark gray eyes at him. She had not hauled her cookies all the way out here to be messed around with by some strange guy. "And just why is that?" she asked.

"Because he's drunk."

Aoi snorted condescendingly at that. Sure, she hadn't spoken to him in ten years, but she was pretty postive that she could safely say, "Yuki doesn't drink."

"I assure you, he's quite... smashed," the man continued.

"Is he inside?" she asked him, her hand falling to rest at her side. The man nodded, and she pushed past him briskly to open the door to the single story house.

"Yuki!" she called, expecting it to be some kind of a trick played by her classmates. Yuki Akira, drunk. Yeah, right. From what her father said, all Yuki did was train, just like his old man. Getting blitzed was kind of a hindrance to that, unless you're Shun Di.

There was a clinking sound, and then the sound of a door shutting. A man with mussed black hair, torn jeans, and five o'clock shadow stumbled out of the other room, looking at her with confused and annoyed dark brown eyes. In his hand was a sake bottle that she was sure was either completely full or completely empty. She could smell the alcohal on his breath, even from ten feet away.

"Are you drunk, Yuki?" she asked him, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her slacks to keep from balling them into fists. Well, shit.

He shook his head, slumped into a chair, and took a swig from the sake bottle. He wasn't even going to use a cup. "No."

"Do you even know who I am, Yuki?" she asked, her wrath seeping into her voice now, making it tight and sharp, like metal.

He looked her over once, shrugged and the replied, "A stripper?"

She growled, then turned to look at the man who'd called her. "Alright, what the hell do you want me to do with Jose Cuervo?" she demanded.

He chuckled, then stiffened up again. "I can't take care of him," he began to explain. "I have other responsibilities, but he's in no state to be alone..." The man then sighed, "I'm sorry for the inconvienence, but Umenokouji was the only name in his address book. I figured that he meant Umenokouji Aoi and that you two had met at the World Tournament... I can see now that you are not--"

Aoi cut him off. "I'm not what? His girlfriend? No, sorry, I'm not his fucking girlfriend. I haven't talked to him in ten years," she said bitterly, then looked to Akira again. It was a pity... he was an amazing fighter, so disciplined and fluid and strong in the ring. This just seemed... wrong. She wondered what had happened to make him pick up a bottle.

"His father died three days ago," the man whispered, answering her question.

Now it made sense. Aoi nodded, feeling sorry that she had been so angry. "Akira-kun, come on..." she said. She would probably a massively depressed wreck scrambling for every drop of sake she could find. She'd heard that he had been defeated by a ninja who'd won the last three World Tournaments, too.

Akira glared at her. "I'm not leaving... I've got a dojo..." he said, standing up and then stumbling forward. The man rushed forward to help him.

Aoi nodded again, knowing that the Yuki Budokan was in his hands, but he couldn't teach like this. "It's just for a few days..." she said, but he still seemed resistant. It was probably because she was a woman. He'd had a thing about that when they were kids, too. He was always hesitant to spar with her because she was a girl. "But your otousama would have wanted it. He was my otousama's best friend, remember?" she said, kneeling beside him. He glared at her, gripping his arm, his eyes holding hers. Yeah, she was playing that card.

"We're friends, aren't we, Yuki?" she asked him, standing up and extending her hand to him.

"Aoi..." he muttered, looking at the man for a moment. The man nodded encouragingly, and Akira accepted her hand. She helped pull him up, and he leaned against her as they slowly made her way towards her car.

--

"Aoi..." he called, for what felt like the tenth time in a half hour. Aoi set down the freshly cut deep purple iris on the coffee table, and stood up. She tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear.

"What?" she asked him.

"Where's your sake?" he asked.

Aoi smirked. "We don't have any sake, Akira-kun," she told him. That wasn't totally a lie. They did have some sake... but as soon as they'd gotten back to the Umenokouji household, Aoi had led him to the couch, and poured it all down the sink.

"What do you mean? I've seen your father drink before," he replied, rummaging through the cupboards.

"You haven't seen anyone from my family in ten years," she shot at him, marching into the kitchen. She shut all of the cupboards as he opened them, and he shooed her hands away.

"Not true. I saw you..." he said.

She frowned. "Fine. You haven't spoken to anyone in my family for ten years," she corrected. He shrugged.

"How's your sister?" he asked. The last time he'd seen her, she was only five, and Aoi was ten.

"Midoriko's fine. I've got a new sister, too," Aoi replied, wondering how he could not feel bad, even if he was a drunk asshole right now.

"Really? So your otousama really can't have sons," Akira mused, now looking through the drawers. All he found was silverware and shallow tupperware dishes.

She slammed the drawers shut, and glared at him. "And your otousama can only have assholes," she retorted, heading back from the kitchen into the living room. She tried to resume her flower arrangement, but she couldn't think straight enough to make something pretty, calming and symmetrical. Suddenly, she thought it needed more orange and red.

"At least your otousama is alive," Akira called, taking the orange juice from the fridge and pouring himself a glass of it.

Aoi gave up. She wasn't going to get any ikebana done until Akira got sobered up and left. "You're staying in the guest room, by the way," she told him, but doubted that he remembered where it was. She turned to look at him as he left the kitchen. "Why wasn't your otousama's death in the papers?" she asked him.

He shrugged again. It must be a new habit, because Aoi couldn't remember him ever doing that before. Maybe it was from all the drinks. "I didn't want it in the papers."

"Why?" Aoi asked.

He glared at her. "What do you mean, why? Because it's not something I want everyone to know. I don't want everyone to feel pity for me. That's why I didn't want to come here with you," he explained. "I don't want everyone to look at me, and go, 'What a bad year for the Yuki family. The son loses the tournament, then his father. How very, very sad'," he finished, flopping down on the couch beside her.

Aoi looked down at the floor, guilty as charged. "I'm sorry, Yuki..." she apologized. "I'll try not to be angry with you, or try to look at you with pity," she said. He leaned against her shoulder, and she didn't stop him. "But I'm not going to let you drink and destroy yourself."

He didn't reply, and she looked at him for a moment. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was open just a bit. She took the glass of juice from his hand, and he didn't stop her. He was asleep. She set the glass on the coffee table, and gently move, placing a cushion under his head, and letting him lay on the couch. Sleep would be good for him. She went to find the naproxen sodium, because he was going to have a hangover when he woke up.

--

"Aoi, who is that on the couch?" her father asked, shutting the door quietly behind himself.

Aoi looked up from the softly boiling pot of miso soup on the stove. "Yuki Akira," she replied, then placed a finger over her lips to signal that he should be quiet.

His brows lifted. "Yuki Akira?" he asked, making his way into the kitchen. There was a small plate of onigiri, probably filled with dried salmon, and another small plate with steamed red bean paste buns. "What's he doing here?" he asked curiously. Surely, his eldest daughter wasn't making all of this food for him.

Aoi said carefully, "He isn't feeling way... Yuki-sama passed away a few days ago." She then looked up at her father, who was clearly shocked. "It's alright that he stays with us for a little while?" she asked him.

Umenokouji Ryudo nodded. "Yes... it's fine..." he told her. "Reiji's really... he's gone?" he asked, confused and saddened by the sudden passing of his best friend.

Aoi gave a soft nod. "Yes... Akira didn't tell me how he died... maybe when he wakes up, he'll be able to talk about it some more."

Ryudo rubbed his daughter's shoulder and patted the top of her head. "You're a good child, Aoi..." he said, forcing a smile. "I'm blessed to have such a caring daughter."

Aoi didn't feel kind, caring or good. She had deliberately left out that Akira was not sleeping, but passed out from a bout of binge drinking, and she was still not very happy about being stuck as his babysitter.

--

Hours later, Aoi awoke on the couch with a crimson day lily in her hand, which rested against the hardwood floor. She sat up, and shook her head. She must have dozed off... the cooking and stress must have wore her out. "Akira...?" she called, looking around for him.

There was no answer.

"Yuki!" she repeated, more demandingly, and stood up. She pulled on her dark washed jeans to straighten them out, and fixed her t-shirt.

Midoriko pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment and hissed in aggravation, "Would you shut the hell up, oneesama? I'm trying to talk to my boyfriend. Not my fault that yours left without telling you."

Aoi walked towards her, and pressed the reciever's button down, hanging up her call.

"Hey!" Midoriko protested, pushing her back. "What's your problem?"

"Where did Yuki go?" she asked her firmly.

"I don't know!" Midoriko said, hanging up the phone and stomping down the hall. "Otousama!" she screamed furiously.

Aoi slipped on her sneakers, and went out the door. She had a pretty good idea of where he went. There was a bar two blocks from her house, and it was doubtful that Akira hadn't seen it in his drunken stupor on the ride over.

She couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep. Akira... well, he wasn't counting on her, but he needed help, and she was the only one who could. He didn't have any other names in his address book, and now both his parents were dead. He was an only child, and the only teacher left at the Yuki Budokan.

She wished she had thought to put on her jacket. It was chilly, a late August evening. Goosebumps came up on her exposed arms, and the walk felt longer even though she walked faster. People stared at her as if she were crazy, or easy prey, as she walked by. She was almost jogging by the time she reached the front door of the bar. It was called something stupidly chic, like Kiname. The Golden Rain. Yeah, that didn't sound like a boozefest. It couldn't appeal any MORE to Akira in his current state.

She pulled the surprisingly heavy door open and stepped inside, scanning the area for him. She figured he would be easy to spot, but there were many muscular, scruffy-looking men here. Just great.

Akira's hand lifted, and he nodded at the bartender. She was a petite little thing with hair so black it appeared to have a bluish sheen, but he couldn't tell in the dim lighting. She had big dark blue eyes, and she reminded him of Aoi... only she was less bitchy and let him drink as much as he wanted. Aoi had absolutely no right to kidnap him and try to keep him hostage from the only thing keeping him sane. He'd murder Kagemaru when he found him for calling her. It wasn't right of that damn ninja to worry her, either. She had other things to be focusing on, like her schooling and her training. She was in her last year of college, wasn't she? He could handle himself... this drinking thing was only temporary, just to help him cope with losing the biggest influence in his life. How could people not expect him to turn to something? At least it wasn't drugs.

Everyone had to be so negative. Well, fuck them. He'd drink if he fucking wanted to. He was thirty-two years old, a grown man, and a World Tournament winner... once.

The girl refilled his small cup of sake, and he downed it in one sip. She refilled it once more, and then turned to attend to another customer. He didn't blame her for not wanting to look at him. He looked like shit, and he knew it. He couldn't understand how Aoi could stand to look at him with those big gray eyes, even if they were full of pity, or how she could put up with doing all that domestic shit... putting him to bed and making him food that tasted decent, and leaving out a bottle of generic aspirin knowing his head would feel like someone had taken a jackhammer to it.

He was surprised when a woman took a seat next to him. She smelled like... oranges and jasmine flowers. He didn't know what Aoi smelled like. She hadn't gotten close enough to him while he was awake, and he had left as soon as she'd fallen asleep. She probably smelled like designer perfume and expensive shampoo. She was a college student, and they liked that sort of thing. He tried to imagine Aoi spending a half an hour picking out what she would wash her hair with, in the middle of an aisle in some supermarket... and it was hard to picture. He tried to see her perusing the tiny glass bottles of different shapes and colors, occassionally picking one up and testing the scent, and even that seemed too girly for her.

Why should it matter what Aoi smelled like? He wasn't interested in her that way. Sure... she had gotten very pretty in the past ten years, and she'd make an excellent girlfriend to someone her own age. Any college boy would be lucky to have someone as talented as her hanging all over him. The age difference between them had seemed so big ten years ago, and now it seemed even more insurmountable... probably because there were men his age who would date someone Aoi's age.

"I'll take a mimosa, thanks," the woman told the bartender, then glanced to him as he took a considerably smaller sip of his drink. "Well!" she half-exclaimed, smiling brightly. It was making his head hurt, and the aspirin had just started to kick in... "If it isn't Yuki Akira. Never thought I'd see you in a shady bar," she finished, turning in her chair to have a conversation with him. Great.

He glanced over at her, recognizing the face, "That makes two of us, Pai," he agreed.

"So, what's got you down here? You heard I was coming, right?" she said flirtatiously, her hand curling around her drink as soon as the tender set it on the counter.

He nodded, wondering if he agreed with her, would she go away? "Yeah. Sure," he said boredly. What the hell was an action movie star doing in a bar in Osaka of all places, anyway?

"It's a shame that we never have much time to chat during the tournament... you always seem to run off after you're finished," she said, her hand moving up to allow her fingers to toy with the pink miniature paper parasol hanging on the rim of the glass.

Aoi's eyes widened as she saw Pai Chan, of all people, sitting next to Akira at the bar, and she could see the Chinese woman's dark eyes heavily lidded, her attention focused on Akira like they were the only two people in the bar. Aoi wasn't stupid or naive; she knew what that skank was up to. She and that womanizer Brad were exactly alike, Brad just wasn't ashamed of it, and he didn't have a lucrative movie career riding on his 'impeccable' reputation. Given the chance, Pai was going to sink her claws into Yuki and hold on tight.

Aoi felt something very protective, like jealousy's nobler, more acceptable cousin, rise up inside her chest. She'd already had a rough day... Pai wasn't going to be a happy slut when she got over there.

Akira took another sip of his drink, watching Pai. She was a lot more mature than Aoi was, reflected in both her wardrobe and the way she acted around him. He still wasn't nearly as interested in her as she was in him. The only kind of relationship he wanted was with a bottle of the strongest sake money could buy. Right now he was going to have to settle for this watered down swill and deal with her lousy attempts at seducing him. Sorry, but he wasn't that drunk.

"I was thinking maybe we could. I've got a minibar in my hotel room, and we could order room service if you want anything else. It'd be fun to hang out and just... discuss things," she offered him. That sounded innocent, but women like Pai Chan were about as innocent as serial killers. She leaned a bit closer to him, her head tilting... Akira raised a brow. What, was she going to seal the deal with a fucking kiss? He hadn't even agre--

"Hey, back it up," Aoi said, giving Pai's shoulder a push.

Pai looked up at the young woman, her lips curling downward into a slight frown that made her look older and less attractive. Akira had to admit, Aoi had impeccable timing. He had been about to do the pushing himself. Now he didn't have to look like a complete asshole. He had Aoi to do it for him! Finally, something useful about her.

"Why don't you go back to your playpen, kid?" Pai asked.

Aoi's eyes narrowed, and Akira quickly finished the rest of his sake. He probably wasn't going to be seeing any for a few days after this. "How about you go seduce someone who's interested?" she retorted. Akira gave a snicker of approval. "And not drunk," she added. Akira gave a snort of distaste.

"Your jealousy is cute..." Pai said, standing up and leaving her mimosa untouched. "But you're still just a kid."

She started to walk away when Aoi grabbed her arm and twisted it quite painfully behind her back. She pushed it upward, causing Pai to hiss in pain and her back to arch. Aoi grinned, and moved her back to the counter, planting her face against the wood and knocking over glasses, bowls of bar snacks, and stools. Everyone was watching. "How about... if you come near Akira again, this 'kid' breaks your arm in three places," she warned, then let the Chinese actress up. "Good luck acting or getting a date with a cast," Aoi finished, then looked to Akira. "Get up now," she said, and he grudgingly obeyed. She grabbed his arm and led him towards the door.

Before they left, Pai called to Akira, rubbing her upper arm, "Hey, Akira! I'll leave my number with the hotel. When you want a woman instead of a brat, give me a call."

"He call you when he wants an STD," Aoi snarled, dragging him back to the house.

Akira grinned. Aoi was kind of cool when she got all fiesty like that... but he sobered (not literally) when he came to the realization that Aoi could very well be in love with him. Maybe even for the past ten years.

--

Midoriko had gone to bed, Aoi was relieved to discover when she and Akira got back to the Umenokouji residence, and otousama hadn't thought her hanging up the phone on her sister's call warranted a talking-to. That was good, because she really wasn't in the mood. Putting the smackdown on Pai Chan had released some of her recently built-up tension, but now she had another reason to be angry at Akira.

"Why didn't you just tell her to get the fuck away from you?" she asked him, pulling off her sneakers and dropping them roughly on the floor, not caring how much noise she made.

Akira gave a shrug, and Aoi found herself rapidly growing to hate that habit. It was so... indecisive! "I don't know. I was bored and she was amusing," he said, slipping off his shoes, nearly falling over in the process. All of that sake had finally started to circulate... whoo! Drunktown, Yuki Akira was coming home and ready to drown all of his sorrows!

"Amusing? Did you even see her outfit?" Aoi asked, stomping into the living room.

Akira raised a brow, trailing after her, but more relaxed. "What does fashion have to do with anything?" he asked, genuinely confused by the apparent topic change.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "She might as well have pasted a sign on her chest and went in there naked. 'Hey boys, I'm easy and about to get blitzed!'," she told him, then turned around fully. "And you aren't any better! Are you just going to sit around and drink until your liver fails and you die of alcohal poisoning?" she asked him.

"I'm not an alcoholic," he said, reaching out to rub her arm, feeling a bit guilty. Maybe she wasn't pitying hi after all... maybe she did care.

"No," she said, shying away from his hand angrily. "I'm trying to help you, and you don't care at all! You just want to be selfish and self-destructive!" she yelled, tears welling in her eyes. He wasn't the Akira-kun she had known growing up at all. He was a fuckwit, and disgusting, and she felt like she was wasting her time. He didn't want help... not even deep down. He wasn't crying out; he was crying for some booze.

Akira watched her mood worsen, and he just wasn't up for it... she wasn't going to tell him what to do or how to live or act like she had all the answers. She was just a little college student he'd put up with as a teen to appease his dad. He grabbed her arms, gripping them tight and forced her up against the bare wall seperating the kitchen from the living room.

"What are you doing?" she asked, surprised, but not alarmed. She didn't struggle, just looked at him with those clear gray eyes, like a cloudless sky after the rain.

"Go ahead," he began, holding her there, staring at those eyes, "call me a bad, bad man."

"What the hell are you talking about, Yuki?" she asked, trying to move her arm away, but his hand was like a vice. Both of them were. Her arms were going to redden and bruise soon.

His forehead pressed against her. "For drinking and flirting with sluts and destroying every fond memory you've kept of me. Go ahead, I don't care. Call me a bad, bad man."

"You're not feeling right, Yuki... you're not a bad person," she said quietly, those tears in the corners of her eyes getting bigger, almost spilling over her dainty, perfect, jet black lashes. "You're just upset because Reiji-sama died..."

"Come on, Aoi!" he dared her, his voice growing louder, glad to be bothering her. Maybe she'd kick him out and he could go about his business unbothered. He didn't need a babysitter or a bodyguard. "Tell me! I'm a bad, bad man! You'd like to kick some fucking sense into me!"

"Stop it, Yuki... this isn't you, it's the sake..." she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. She wasn't scared for herself, but for him. It was worse than she'd thought, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"Wouldn't you?! Especially now?!" he said, his breath hot on her face. She hated the smell, and hated having him so close... she was such a hyprocrite, criticizing Pai for being a two-faced slut when she wanted everyone to believe she was an angel, caring for him and trying to help him in his 'time of need', when everything he said was true and he'd just been dumped on her by Kagemaru.

"No..." she said, shaking her head and resting it on his shoulder. "No... I'm not going to hit you..." she mumbled, crying into his shoulder, convincing herself of that. Part of her wanted to... wanted to hit him hard for making her feel so horrible, but the other part believed what she said. He wasn't himself right now.

Frustrated, Akira nudged her head back up and simply glared at her for a moment, before his look softened. She was crying and still trying to smile and convince him she wasn't angry at him, even though she'd just exploded at him minutes ago. He tilted his head, pressing his lips against hers, gently at first... then, when it felt good, more hungrily. She didn't resist him, and his hands eased and slid down to her hips.

"Akira..." she breathed his name, and, her mouth open, he captured it completely, invading it, tasting and exploring. Her arms snaked around his neck, thin, soft fingers raking into the hair at the nape.

Aoi conceded that Yuki Akira had to be just a little bit bad, because good boys did not kiss like that.

--

"We see the stones falling from the sky (on fire)

The blinding light beaming from your eyes (our desire)

Life has died, yet we're still alive and down below

A sea of damned crashing like a tidal wave."

Escape The Fate - 'There's No Sympathy For The Dead'

--

And that would be the end of part one.

'Aoi Umenokouji, not-so-wonton sex goddess, with a very bad man, uh... pinning her against the wall'.

I love Bridget Jones's Diary.

Anywho... leave a review, please.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I know it's been forever, but I haven't had net access, blah blah blah... Anyway, I'm finally continuing to write my Akira/Aoi fanfiction. I could've left it at one chapter, but it didn't seem finished, and I never intended for it to be a oneshot.

Just a note: The lyrics I put at the beginning of this chapter are, well... sort of lyrics I thought fit the situation. The song is not a 'theme song'. In no way do I think that Aoi and Akira would be into My Chemical Romance or Escape the Fate (awesome bands... but VF characters headbanging? Goh or Lion, maybe). Just thought I'd give a heads up before people look up the 'There's No Sympathy For The Dead' lyrics. Those are some trippy lyrics.

But here we go with this chapter!

--

**Look Away**

**An Akira Yuki/Aoi Umenokouji story by Strike to Incinerate**

**Chapter o2 - Wash Away Your Sins**

--

"I cannot change you (I cannot change you)  
you'll never change (you'll never change)  
I never would expect to break this in the end"

There's No Sympathy For The Dead - Escape the Fate

--

It was six in the morning when Aoi awoke, a slight headache chiseling away at her brain, sure to become something more painful, and Akira's kiss still burning on her lips.

She flushed, which helped make the headache subside, and got out of bed. She was going to need some asprin, and to make breakfast for her younger sisters and Akira. Midoriko and Shiroi had to go to school, and Akira... well, he had to sober up. She still felt horrible that Reiji-sama was dead, but it would be worse if Akira lost the Budokan, too.

The hardwood flooring was still cool against her feet as she made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass and filled it with cold tap water, and took a few aspirin. The bottle was almost empty, thanks to Akira... but she wasn't bitter. She had given up on being bitter to him. It just made him mad, and when he got mad--

_-- he pushes me up against a wall to play tonsil hockey. _

It wasn't even a sarcastic thought, and the fact that she wasn't angry with him for that made her cheeks turn red, and she couldn't think of what lastest fad her teenaged sister wanted to follow for her breakfast regime.

_God, it tasted like cheap wine, and he hasn't shaved in days, his hair was greasy..._

And Aoi knew, that no matter how much she tried to devalue it, it was probably the sexiest thing she'd ever experience in her entire life, short of, well... doing **it.**

_Gummi bears,_ she remembered. Apparently, there was this rumor that gummi bears were lower in fat and calories per serving, compared to walnuts and cashews, so that was what Midoriko wanted to eat. _She's going to end up anorexic soon enough..._ Aoi thought, annoyed, making her head pulse.

Shiroi ate miso soup, rice and eggs, like normal people, and that meant that Akira would be having that, too. Aoi prepared the stove and the food (the rice was already cooked, and the miso was instant, so it wasn't difficult), and soon, the house was full of the smells of good food. The only thing left was to dig through the snack cupboard for Midoriko's damned gummi bears...

"Good morning, Aoi. It's nice to see you in the kitchen, for once," her mother said, her voice soft and teasing.

Aoi rolled her eyes. It was her chore to make breakfast every morning, since Midoriko was 2 and she was seven. "Good morning, mama," she replied absently, still searching.

"Midori-chan already ate all of her gummi bears," Aoi's mother informed her. "She's on to wasabi peas now."

Aoi laughed; Midoriko hated vegetables. She was going to have a fun time with that one; did she think the peas were **made** of wasabi? But, wasabi peas, they did still have in their cupboards, and she grabbed a small green package, and placed it where Midoriko usually sat at the table.

"Aoi-chan..." her mother began, something in her soft voice telling Aoi that she was about to get serious. "Why is Akira-kun here?" she asked her eldest daughter. "In our guest room?"

Aoi raised a brow. "Didn't dad tell you?" she replied, surprised. Her parents usually shared things like that. "Reiji-sama died... Akira's having a hard time dealing with it. I offered to let him stay with us. Dad said it was fine," she answered.

Her mother didn't look convinced. "Why did Shiroi see you pouring all of your father's sake down the drain, then?" she asked.

Aoi sighed. Shiroi was the youngest child, still precocious at seven years old, and everyone's pet. She was quiet, and shy, and inquisitive. She couldn't get mad that Shiroi had gone to their mother, not like if Midoriko had, because Midoriko did things like that just to be a brat. "I told, Akira's having a hard time, okay?" she replied.

"Aoi... I don't want an alcoholic around Midoriko and Shiroi," she replied sternly.

Her honey colored eyes widened. "Alcoholic? Mama, he's a friend of the family!" she protested. "He used to be over here all the time when we were kids!"

"When you were a child, yes," her mother agreed, folding her arms over her chest. "But you're an adult now, and he's a drunk. Don't you care about your sisters? He could get violent!" she pointed out.

"Mama!" Aoi snapped. "Stop it. I'm helping him get back on his feet. He's not a drunk; he's just confused. Don't you feel bad at all about Reiji-sama? Don't you remember how hard it was for everyone when Shizuka-sama died?" she said, bringing up Akira's mother, who had died when Akira was 14, and Aoi was 8.

"Of course I do!" her mother snapped back. She had been close with Shizuka, just as her husband had been close to Reiji. "But this is about the safety of you and your sisters... I'll go to your father, and tell him--" she began to threaten.

"Tell him what?" Aoi returned, her eyes narrowed. She was an adult now, her mother was right; she wasn't going to take this 'I'm the matriarch' crap anymore. "I told you that dad said he could stay. Dad's DELIGHTED that he's going to stay. You know he loves Akira like a son!"

"That he was forcing himself on you," her mother countered. "As much as he loves Akira, he loves you and your sisters more. If I tell him what I saw... he'll agree with me."

Aoi hated when her mother got vindictive like this, but she still lived in the time where women stayed home and cared for the kids and the house while the husband went to work. The time where the social life was ruled by the wife. Aoi didn't live in that time, and she knew her mother hated that. Aoi lived in the time where, as soon as she had turned eighteen, she was equal to her parents, and didn't have to obey every single thing they said.

"Do it. Tell him that," she shot back, her lips curling into a triumphant grin. "Tell him that Akira did just that. That he took advantage of me... and I liked it. Tell him we're dating. Go ahead. Tell him that I'm pregnant, and Akira and I are going to run away together. Go right ahead. See how much he likes the idea of that," she said, knowing it was her father's, and Reiji-sama's, dream for her and Akira to get married and spawn hundreds of super martial artist children.

Her mother's face turned bright red. Her mother, being a traditionalist, didn't like to hear the idea of one of her daughters sleeping around, getting pregnant out of wedlock, and eloping. Her eyes became slits, glaring daggers at her eldest, mouthiest daughter, her husband's clear favorite... and she slapped her.

Aoi reeled, but then laughed. It had stung a little, but she'd been hit a lot harder. In comparison to a well delivered piston kick from a stocky black woman, that was like a mosquito on her arm. "Why don't you go make some fucking tea or something, and leave me alone, before I tell dad that you're getting abusive?" she said defiantly.

That didn't help. Her mother simply snarled, "I wish your father knew what a mouth you have... you're going to become a disgrace," and marched away angrily.

Aoi laughed loudly at her back, but secretly, she was glad that no one had seen that fight. She hated fighting with her mother, but she was so rigid and hard to deal with, it sometimes couldn't be avoided. She had a heart of stone, and few very got to have a place in it. Akira had been kicked off the island, as far as her mother went, but she knew that her mother couldn't kick Akira out of the house. She was so traditional that she would listen to whatever Aoi's father said.

She sighed, and began plating up the eggs, near tears. A weak, almost coughing sound, left her throat, and she wiped at her eyes. It was so stupid, and now she regretted saying those things to her mother. One day, her mother wouldn't be there to argue with... Just like Shizuka-sama had gone so suddenly, so could her own mom.

Around the corner, Akira sighed, feeling something other than self-pity and anger for the first time that week. He felt guilty about putting Aoi in this situation... because he refused to deal with his feelings of frustration about his father's death. Aoi already had a lot to deal with; she shouldn't have to defend him at every turn, too.

--

"Aoi... I think I'll just got home," he told her as she washed the dishes after breakfast. Her younger sisters had already left for school; eating breakfast with them had been an interesting experienced. The middle one had told him he was going to get fat eating all the food her older sister had cooked for him, and the youngest one was quiet and shy, but asked him if he was her older sister's boyfriend... because the middle one had said so. That had been awkward and almost funny.

"Eat and run, eh?" she said with a soft, forced laugh.

He knew that, despite doting upon her youngest sister, she was still upset about the fight with her mother that morning, and he could understand it.

"No, it's not that. I shouldn't be imposing on your family like this," he replied, running a hand through his mussed black hair. Thanks to a shower and a change of clothing, both provided by her, he looked decent. He still had stubble and a five o'clock shadow, though.

His sudden change in attitude made an alarm go off in Aoi's head. Once upon a time, she had been an experienced eavesdropper, and she knew the signs of someone who had heard a conversation not meant for them. "You heard my mother and me, didn't you?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

He shook his head quickly. _'Shit, why is she so damned clever all the time?' _he thought, half in annoyance, half in admiration. She had an intuition that bordered on ESP. "No... I told you. I'm imposing, and it's rude," he insisted.

"You didn't think you were imposing when you ate all the food in the cupboards yesterday, and tried to get to my dad's sake," she replied quickly.

He frowned. Now she was being difficult. Couldn't she just accept what he was saying. "Aren't you listening? I'm cured; I'll be a good boy now. I'm done staying here," he told her firmly, standing up.

"Stop lying to me, would you?" she asked him.

"I'm not lying!" he lied.

"Yeah, you are. You're not hard to read, Akira," she said, rinsing out a bowl.

"Shut up!" he roared. "Maybe I'm just sick of your constant nagging! You're not any different than your mother!"

She turned around, a wide grin on her face. "You did eavesdrop," she said, triumphant.

He gave up. "Yeah, whatever. It wasn't hard. Anyone awake could've heard you two screaming," he admitted.

Her face turned pink. "I'm sorry... if what I said offended you. I was just trying to make my mother angry. You know how she is; women stay home and cook and shit," she said quietly, looking down at the hardwood floor. He nodded, understanding. "I don't actually want to run away with you and have your babies and whatever. I just knew that she'd get pissed if I said I did. She was making you out to be the bad guy, and you're not."

He didn't argue with her. He'd even tried to make her see that he was an insufferable dick, and she wouldn't. She was bound and determined to believe he was a good person, and he wasn't going to stop her if she wanted to delude herself that badly. "Whatever you say, Aoi," he replied.

"So, you're not going to leave?" she asked hopefully.

"No, I'm still out of here," he replied instantly. "Why would I stay?"

She gave him a funny look. "Whether you think so or not, Akira... you need help. You can't keep drinking and bottling your feelings up until they--"

He cut her off. "What? Explode?" he asked. "Like you're one to talk, after that fight with your mother. Why don't you just tell her that you don't like how traditional she is?" he said.

She frowned at him, and it was almost cute. "It's different," she said stoutly.

"How?" he replied. "Because she's alive?"

"That's not what I meant, Akira."

"No, I know what you meant."

"If you're mad at your father for dying, maybe you should just say so," she spat. "I know he'd be angry at you for pushing away the only person who wants to help."

"Yeah, help herself into my pants," he grumbled.

She didn't like that comment, and she showed it by walking over to him, and pushing him towards the door. "Fine. Get out of my house."

"Thought it was your dad's house," he said, trying to be clever.

She didn't think so. "You want to leave so badly, I can't stop you. You're stronger than I am. You could've said no when I told you I was bringing you here. Be a god damned drunk, see if I care!" she shouted, standing in front of him, nearly six inches shorter.

He looked down into her eyes, getting a good look at them for once. They were bright and hard like amber, and full of passion. He swallowed; it was intimidated. He didn't realize how much she cared...

"Aoi..." he spoke softly, his voice calm and serious, like it used to be. "Are you in love with me?" he asked.

She looked away. "No," she answered, but he could hear the bitterness in her voice.

She was. Maybe it had started as a form of adoration; he was the most promising student of the Budokan, her father spent a lot of time with him, he was skilled. Why wouldn't little Aoi admire that? And then, as they grew up... he stopped visiting. He went away to train in the mountains. He didn't answer her phone calls or reply to her christmas cards. He didn't act friendly with her at the third, fourth, of fifth world martial arts tournaments. Now, he was throwing everything away, in her eyes, because of his father's death.

Disappointment was worse than anger, and bred deeper feelings of resentment.

It was a lot of maybes, but he knew he couldn't be far off.

"You must hate me then," he said.

"That's the most stupid fucking thing I have ever heard," she snorted. "Just because I'm not falling all over myself for you, doesn't mean I hate you."

But it did. They both knew that Aoi Umenokouji either loved or hated him very much to be so passionate about this.

It was suffocating him. "I'm going. I'll call you later, so you know I'm not dead," he promised her, heading for the door.

"Yeah, whatever," she said, turning to walk away from him. "You didn't call for ten years, why start now?"

Akira Yuki hated being right.

--

"Deep into a dying day  
I took a step outside an innocent heart  
Prepare to hate me fall when I may  
This night will hurt you like never before  
Im going down so frail n cruel  
Drunken disguise changes all the rules"

Wish I Had an Angel - Nightwish

--

That's the end of chapter 2. I promise that I will have the next chapter up in less than six months from now, so bear with me.

Oh, and leave me a review, will ya? I love them!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Yay! Someone has congratulated my triumphant return! Thanks, Martin III!

And I'll try to better weed out my typos. Usually, I'm just like, "whateva, biyatch, gotta post dis fic" and I just do it. I'll go back and fix them later, probably after this is up.

Also, I'm very sorry about the shortness of this chapter. -bows.- I wrote it hurriedly, then forgot I had finished it. Gomen ne.

Anywho... -dances.- Think I'm done with this note now. Time to move on with the plot! Mwahaha.

--

**Look Away**

**An Akira Yuki/Aoi Umenokouji fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.**

**Chapter o3 - If I Fall Down**

--

"Old loves they die hard

Old lies they die harder

I wish I had an angel

For one moment of love

I wish I had your angel

Your Virgin Mary undone

Im in love with my lust

Burning angel wings to dust

I wish I had your angel tonight"

Wish I Had an Angel - Nightwish

--

If there was one thing Akira Yuki had never had trouble with, it was... well, finding trouble. It was one of his many talents, among being an international hakkyoko-ken champion, binge drinking, and angering his childhood friend to tears and screaming. It wasn't that 'trouble found him', either, like people who wanted to blame fate. It wasn't that he 'went looking for trouble'. He just happened to leave a bad situation and step into a worse one, both of which were usually his fault in some way.

Leaving Aoi's house like she told him to didn't seem like a bad idea. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea, to him; she was screaming and crying and telling him to go, and she had her own problems to deal with. It seemed like a great idea; maybe not being a flaming idiot and trying to help her out would've been a better one, but hey, work with what you've got. However, Akira hadn't visited the Umenokouji house in ten years. Ten years tended to wash away his memory of how to get home. He'd been drunk on the way over, and the only landmark that had registered then was, 'bar'.

He had gone from 'argument' to 'lost in Kyoto'. One bad situation to a worse one, both of which were his fault.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been to Kyoto, outside of the last time he'd seen Aoi's home. He didn't like Kyoto for the same reason Aoi didn't like her mother; too traditional, too stuck on everything being beautiful, too stuck up. Kyoto was the only place that still had an okiya; he remembered that part, because six year old Aoi had cried rivers about her mother wanting to send her to live there, to become a geisha, rather than learn Aiki-Jujutsu from her father.

Akira chuckled. That was sort of a nice memory. Six year old Aoi had run over to him as soon as he and his mother had arrived, hide behind him, and begged him not to let her mother send her away. Of course, he knew that her father wouldn't let her mother do that, but he had given in to her childish need for protection, and said he wouldn't let her. That, of course, had made Mihara-san angry with him, but his own mother had laughed.

He felt a slight ache in his chest.

Why couldn't things be like that anymore?

_'Because we both grew up. I'm a drunk, and Aoi never fell in love with anyone else.'_

Part of him was a little flattered, the more he thought about it. He'd never peg any woman for falling for him. He was a pretty boring guy up until now. All he did was train in the mountains, run his father's dojo, and go to the occassional tournament. His entire life was hakkyoko-ken.

It didn't excuse the drinking, but his life was a little more interesting now.

_'I guess she was right,'_ he thought. _'Drinking isn't a good release.'_

But it wasn't like he had anything else. Martial arts really **was** his life, as lame as it sounded. Well, it was lame. He'd stopped dating when he'd left college, he didn't really have any friends, he didn't have any family now...

_'I guess I had Aoi.'_

Worn out, and with a heavy sigh, he slumped down on a park bench. Walking had helped to calm him down, and as the day cooled into evening, it had cleared his head. Now, when he counted on his hand the number of important things he had in his life, there were only two. The rest of them had been crossed off.

He had Aoi Umenokouji, and the Yuki Budokan his grandfather had founded.

And he was sure that if things kept going this way, he would have to cross those off, too.

He frowned, looking up at the sky above the city as the oranges, purples and reds of the sunset mixed like watercolors. It would be dark very soon... and he wasn't sure how safe Kyoto was at night. He knew he'd be okay, but he'd rather not be outside, or have to defend himself. He still had his credit card, he could find a hotel... he had promised Aoi he'd call her, and he should probably start acting like he cared...

"It's not safe at all, you know," a raspy masculine voice said, and he felt someone else sit on the bench.

He looked to his right. There sat a young man, probably Aoi's age, in a long black trenchcoat and pants, with what appeared to be steel-toed boots. His face was pallid, almost a very pale shade of baby blue, with scattered scars and metal piercings, and cat-like eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Goh Hinogami. During the last World Martial Arts Tournament, Kagemaru had told him that Goh was not just a third degree black belt in Judo; he was also an assassin for an underground cartel called 'J6', and that he was a likely target. At first, Akira hadn't believed it, because it sounded kind of ridiculous... but then he'd seen the J6 tattoo on Goh's arm, and the way he brutally kicked his downed opponents, and gave cruel threats, and it didn't seem that off. Kagemaru had no reason to lie about that, either. He was a pretty nice guy.

Goh shrugged, wearing a malicious grin, showing teeth. "I've got a friend in the neighborhood... thought I'd drop in and say hello," he replied. "What are you doing here, Yuki?"

Yuki opened his mouth to reply, 'Ditto, actually,' and then he remembered Aoi. If Goh was after himself and a few other World Tournament participants, as Kagemaru had warned him... he could be after her, too. "I moved here a couple of weeks ago," he lied. "I was just exploring the area."

"That so?" Goh said, his grin never fading. "I was afraid that you were going to say we might have the same friend... what a weird coincidence that would be, ne?" he laughed, but it was a harsh, cold chuckle.

Akira could feel his hands balling into fists, but he kept them down. It would do any good to start a fight with Goh if the assassin wasn't really looking for one... he could just go back to Aoi's house and warn her.

If he could remember the way back.

_'Why the hell don't I have a cell phone?'_ he thought, annoyed at himself.

He had gone from 'argument' to 'lost in Kyoto' to 'sitting on a park bench with a killer'.

Not quite how he had thought his day would go.

"I don't suppose you could tell me how to get to the Umenokouji residence?" he asked plainly, but still wearing that smirk. "You're friends with her, aren't you?" he sneered.

Akira didn't restrain himself any longer. He threw the punch.

It never connected.

He felt Goh's hand on his wrist, turning it and pulling him forward, going with the momentum... pulling him over his ankle...

_'God damned judo...' _Akira thought, pulling his wrist free and rolling out of the grapple before he was slammed into the ground. He stood up, and kept his eyes on Goh, who laughed.

"Oh man... that was really stupid!" he spat. "This is my lucky night, huh? I'll kill you first, and then swing by her house and finish that up. Then I can have tomorrow off," he said, cracking his knuckles into his palms, one at a time.

Akira moved into his stance. "Trust me, I'm going to fuck you up for even thinking about touching her. You'll be spending tomorrow in the hospital, if you even make it there," he replied through gritted teeth.

"Touch her? I was just gonna kill her..." he said, raising his fists. "But now that you mention it..."

Akira didn't want to hear the rest of that sentence. He dashed forward, unleashing a palm thrust, and then a knee on the unprepared assassin. He stumbled back, and Akira felt slightly better.

"Come on... is that all you've got?" Goh taunting, wiping his bleeding lip. "Or do I have to keep talking?"

Akira moved forward again, and Goh tried to catch his ankle in a trip, but he just moved to the side, lifted his knee, and then turned, a punch slamming into the assassin's ribs.

Goh didn't seem to mind it this time. He wrapped his arm around Akira's, stepped in, and tossed the other man over his shoulder.

Akira coughed, and saw the steel toed boot coming down to stomp on his chest. He rolled away from it, then his foot shot out, tripping the assassin, and giving him time to stand back up.

"Tch... it's been a long time since I've actually had to try," Goh said, frog hopping up, then rolling a shoulder back. "Just gonna make it more satisfying when I kill you, then her."

"You're doing a job lousy job," Akira shot back. "I'm not even breaking a sweat."

Goh reached into his back pocket and his hand returned clutching something shiny, sharp and pointy. A pocket knife.

"Really? That's it?" Akira scoffed, unafraid of it. He wasn't, but his own safety wasn't the biggest concern right now... he had to get rid of Goh, and get back to Aoi before he did, which seemed impossible.

"Smaller knife is easier to use, ya know?" he replied, his lips turning up in that grin once more.

Akira was going to wipe it off his face.

--

It was after ten p.m. when Aoi, sitting on the living room couch watching reality television, heard a knock at the door. At first, she was curious; who would be coming to visit this late at night, she wondered. When the knocking became louder and more insistent, she decided that she had better go check it out.

She opened the door to see Akira standing there, his dark hair badly mussed, scrapes on his arms and face, dirt and grass stains littering his clothing. The anger she'd had before slowly melted into concern, but she couldn't let him off that easily. Maybe he'd just fallen into a ditch. That happened to drunks all the time.

Putting on a small frown, and folding her arms over her chest, one hip out to the side, she asked, "What are you doing back here? I thought you wanted to leave."

His dark eyes seemed to lit up, and his lips broke into a smile, the first one she had seen in a long time. She didn't know why he was smiling, or what he had to smile about, so she was confused... especially when he pulled her in for a tight hug.

She didn't fight him off. She knew what hugs like this meant. It meant that things were very possibly going to be okay between them. Her arms unfolded and she looped them around his shoulders. She wasn't mad anymore.

Akira was just happy that she was safe, and he had an itching suspicion that his relief wasn't so normal...

--

"And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me  
For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me

If I fall  
If I fall (down)"

Ghost of You - My Chemical Romance

--

Yeah, you can tell where I got lazy. I'm trying to hurry up and get to the good part. xD

That last sentence was kind of lame. I was trying to steer it away from cliches, and sort of failed. Maybe I'll change it.

Reviews, please! I appreciate them a lot! :


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Yeah... I know. I haven't updated this in forever. But, I want to get this finished... and a very nice girl gave me a wonderful review. So, I went back, read the first three chapters, and felt inspired again. So, here's the 4th chapter... I have six planned.

--

"At the end of the world

Or the last thing I see

You are

Never coming home

Never coming home

Could I? Should I?

And all the things that you never ever told me

And all the smiles that are ever ever..."

Ghost of You - My Chemical Romance

--

Asleep on the couch.

He was still there when Aoi went and checked on him at around 4:30 in the morning. She had woken up from a nightmare, and become very afraid that he had run off... like he could run at all, in his condition. He'd be so sore when he woke up... she doubted he'd be able to leave that couch.

But he was still there, to her relief, sleeping peacefully, the scratches on his face scabbed over, the blanket she had given him barely covering his hefty, muscular form.

She smiled, if a little sadly, remembering her nightmare.

_"Miss Umenokouji?"_

_Her cellphone was in her hand. She didn't know why, but it was on speaker phone. She didn't even remember it ringing... a voice had just suddenly started speaking._

_"Yes?" she replied tentatively. She was nervous, but not because she didn't know the caller. What was wrong? What had happened? Her mind was running to dark places, thinking of those she loved and the things she feared could happen, thanks to the things she'd seen on television..._

_"We need you to identify a body... there's been an accident..."_

_She choked up. __**Midoriko! Shiroi!**__, her mind screamed at her. One of them had been kidnapped from school, raped by some pedophile, and left in an alley for dead, just like one of those horrible American thrillers in which a mother was on a 'roaring rampage of revenge'. She just knew it..._

_"Could you come to the station?"_

_She had no choice. Suddenly, she was there, in a too-clean, too-bright room, where a body on a stretcher was covered in a white sheet. The body was too big to be either of her sisters'..._

_She never got to pull back the sheet. She knew who it was. Things flashed red, black and white... she could smell alcohol, but the only thing she could feel was fear._

_Water spread out across the floor... but it wasn't water. It didn't smell like water. And soon, it turned red and viscous and warm... soaking into her sneakers and socks as it rose above her ankles._

_She felt her back against something cold and hard... a wall? She couldn't look over her shoulder and check... For some reason, she just couldn't..._

_And the sheet was starting to rise as the body sat up, and she couldn't look away._

_**Look away, look away...**_

_**Wakeupwakeupwakeup...**_

Her eyes had opened then, like they opened now, shining with fearful tears, but she wouldn't cry. It had only been a dream. Akira wasn't dead, her sisters were fine. Everything was going to be okay....

"Aoi..." he mumbled, and she was taken by surprise for a moment.

"Yeah, Akira?"

"Go back to bed. Stop staring at me."

She chuckled a little. "But you're so cute when you sleep... how can I resist?" she replied. Cute wasn't exactly the right word... and in his state, anything that could be considered a synonym for attractive was too far off. Pensive, or peaceful, were really the only ways to describe it.

"Go back to bed... don't make me get up. Everything aches like shit," he grumbled, pulling the blanket over his head.

"I bet it does," she said, kneeling in front of the couch. "You gonna tell me what happened?"

"Why?" he asked, peeking out. "So you can fix me up like a good little nurse?"

"I was going to do that anyway," she responded honestly. "I don't trust you to do it properly yourself."

"I did just fine while I was in the mountains," he replied stiffly.

She blinked. He was awfully adamant about her not touching him... well, she wasn't going to force it. If he wanted to be covered in scars, that was his problem. She doubted that he could reach most of the lacerations on his back, though. "Tell me anyway," she pressed.

He pulled the blanket back down. He wondered if he should tell her... after all, Goh had threatened to hurt her. Do more than hurt her, actually, and he didn't put it past that psychotic motherfucker to keep his word. But, with all of the things Aoi had to deal with, was it fair to worry her with that, too? Her worry would be threefold; for herself, for her two sisters. But, then again, was it fair _not_ to warn her? She could at least be on guard, and maybe, able to defend herself from an attack. Goh obviously wasn't stealthy, and he was too crazy for a sniper; he liked to get in people's faces, get in their head, mess with them...

"You remember a really pale guy with a lot of facial piercings at the last two tournaments?" he asked her.

She thought about it for a moment. "Weird hair, a scar... didn't like Kagemaru very much?" she finally asked him.

"Yeah, that guy."

"I heard he beat the shit out of Jacky. Guy was in the hospital for a few months," Aoi said quietly, biting her lip.

"Yeah... it took Jeffry and Wolf to get Goh off of Jacky. Vanessa Lewis was about ready to kill him," he agreed. "Goh met me at the park."

Her amber eyes blinked, and she asked slowly, "Met you...?"

"I didn't invite him. He was looking for--" he paused for a moment. There was where the lie would begin, and it would have to be believable. Aoi knew he was a poor liar, but he would have to improve rapidly for her sake. "--me. He wanted a rematch, for the fourth tournament," he lied.

She nodded a bit, seeming to buy it. He was relieved. "Oh..." she said, but then, her features changed a bit. Her nose wrinkled slightly, her eyes perked up, and her lips twitched. "But, how did he know to find you here?"

_SHIT._

Akira had to think of something quickly... maybe it was time to lie a little less. "I don't know," he said. After all, he hadn't known how Goh had found Aoi's address. "Maybe Pai told him. Or maybe he just asked around. Your school is pretty famous..." he said.

She nodded again, her suspicions sated. "Yeah... I forget that sometimes..." she said, slipping into wistful thoughts of what it would be like to be a normal girl, going to college, having a boyfriend... that sort of thing.

"Well... he did this. I mean, I still beat him, but he brought a knife..." he said. "And you know how he is. Doesn't know when enough is enough," he replied.

"Ah... okay..." she said, giving another little nod. She was buying it... because it was believable. People could be competitive, hateful creatures. It was easy enough to play on the way people would always believe the worst of others. "I guess it's a good thing you don't look a lot worse."

"You make it sound like I went easy on him," he chuckled. "Don't worry... he's probably just as messed up as I am," he finished.

"I don't care about Goh."

_'You should.'_

"I'm just glad you came back..." she said, reaching for his hand.

He tried to pull it away, but for some reason, he just couldn't get it to move. Reflexively, his fingers curled around hers, and squeezed it reassuringly... and it was just so damn annoying, the way he felt more relaxed and safe when she squeezed back, that he just fell right back asleep.

It was becoming harder and harder for Akira to not fall in love with Aoi Umenokouji.

--

_"Akira-kun!"_

_Akira turned around to see an excited eight year old girl tugging on his sleeve. He was fourteen,almost twice her age, but she was like his little sister. Annoying at times, but when she wasn't around, he missed her. And, like an older brother, he would never admit it; she'd get a big head. She looked up to him a lot, almost like a hero, because he was so talented at Hakkyoko-ken, and their parents were all close friends. It was a great ego-booster when he felt down about his training._

_"Dad said that he's taking me out for mochi! Because I did so good today! I did all three katas without messing up! I landed on the tape and everything! He says I'm gonna make green belt for sure next week!" she said, her voice quick and excited. Her hand had left his sleeve, her little fists balled up in joy as she almost hopped up and down. "Wanna come?"_

_He pondered saying no. Mochi ice cream wasn't a very healthy snack... and if he went, she would take it as a license to start to demanding piggyback rides, and their fathers would find it to be cute, and make him give in to her ridiculous demands..._

_But seeing her so excited about something that would one day be so meaningless melted his heart a bit. He just... couldn't say no. It would be too heartless to make her smile fall, and he wouldn't be able to bear the guilt if she turned away and walked back to her father with her shoulders slumped, like a slowly deflating balloon. He couldn't rain on her parade like that._

_"Alright," he agreed, ruffling her hair._

_"Sugoiiiiii~" she cheered, pumping a fist into the air, as if that had been some miraculous David versus Goliath victory. "My baby sister's coming, too, and so is my mom! You should call your mom, too!" she told him._

_So, his father called his mother, and she said that she would meet them at the mochi stand in the nearby park._

_They all left the Budokan together, as one big group. Aoi's mother was holding three year old Midoriko on her hip, and with Aoi's father right beside her. Aoi walked between Reiji and Akira Yuki, holding both of their hands. Akira remembered his father looking down at her, smiling; maybe his parents had thought of Aoi as their daughter, the same way Aoi's father thought of him as his son._

_It had made him a little jealous, since his father had smiled so rarely. Aoi had been born a heart-breaker. He'd waved those thoughts away, because people were supposed to be proud of Aoi right now, the same way people took pride in him._

_"Aniki..." she began to whine, and he knew what it meant. "Please give me a piggyback ride!"_

_He knew it was useless to resist. His father would make him. But, he had expected it. "Fine..." he knelt down on the sidewalk. "Jump on!"_

_"Yay!" she cheered, latching onto his back. He stood up, her arms wrapped around his neck while he held up her legs. All three adults laughed._

_"My son, the toughened Hakkyoko-ken prodigy... bows to the whims of an eight-year old girl..." his father joked, but Akira frowned. _

_"No, it's good," Aoi's mother said. "She's already training him. One day, he'll be a respectable husband."_

_Akira blushed a bit; he knew that they meant for little Aoi. But she was just a kid! The age difference was... gross! Suddenly, he needed to get away from them. Parents were stupid sometimes._

_"Betcha we can beat them to the ice cream," he told her._

_"Yeah! Let's go~!" she agreed wholeheartedly, probably having not heard what their parents had been talking about, or just being too young to understand their grownup jokes._

_He broke into a slow run... not too fast, because he didn't want her to fall off, but fast enough for it to be fun for her. She cheered, holding on tight; today was a fun day for her._

_They beat the adults to the mochi cart, but it didn't matter. They just laughed at the teenager and the child who stuck their tongues out at them before demanding the ice cream confection from the vendor._

_"Um... I want..." she looked at him. "What are you going to get, Akira-kun?"_

_He thought for a moment. "Vanilla," he decided. "Or maybe green tea."_

_He knew she didn't like green tea flavor. She didn't like tea at all... mostly because her mother liked tea, and Aoi's was ever the daddy's girl._

_"I want whatever you're having," she said, clinging to him._

_He sighed. "Two strawberry mochis, please," he told the vendor._

_Aoi beamed; he knew that strawberry was her favorite. Like most kids her age, she liked sweet, fruity flavors. He wasn't crazy about them, but this outing was about her, not him._

_Suddenly, there was a flash of light in the graying sky. Their parents looked up. "I think it's going to rain..." Reiji mumbled._

_Aoi's mother looked upset. "We won't make it back to the house... we'll be soaked. Midoriko-chan will catch a cold."_

_"Hon, there's a gazebo right there. We can wait out the storm," Aoi's father pointed out._

_"I suppose..."_

_Everyone ate their ice cream, and as the rain began to drizzle down, the group made their way to the shelter of the gazebo._

_"I want to play in the rain! Come on, aniki!" Aoi began to insist. She was tugging on his arm again._

_"No... you'll get sick," he told her._

_"But..." she began to whine, her lips pouting._

_"If you get sick, how will you be able to train tomorrow?" he told her. "You don't want to fall behind," he said, knowing that she would want to stay on top of her training more than she would want to play in the rain._

_"Yeah... I guess you're right..." she agreed, sitting on the bench next to him._

_The light drizzle had quickly turned to a torrential downpour... not uncommon in the spring months._

_Thunder boomed, but Aoi seemed unfazed. Instead, she complained, "It's cold."_

_"You should have brought your jacket," her mother said crisply._

_Aoi frowned, but was quiet._

_"Hey, Aoi..." Akira began._

_She looked up at him attentively._

_"Good job with your katas."_

_Her smile blossomed again. "Thanks, aniki."_

_"No problem," he said, ruffling her hair again._

_Another half an hour passed... Akira began to wonder what was taking his mother so long. Reiji seemed to as well... and suddenly, sirens began to blar, red and white ambulances speeding down the nearby street. He knew it was silly, but he worried. He looked to his father, who nodded, and took out his cellphone._

_A few seconds later, he put it away, muttering, "Reception must be bad..."_

_Later that night, after the rain had stopped and the group had begun to walk back to the Budokan, they'd passed by a car wreck. At a four way intersection, someone hadn't seen a light..._

_And Akira's worry hadn't been so silly after all._

--

"So stupid..." he muttered, looking up at the cieling. He'd barely been asleep, his mind unable to create dreams, but only dreg up old, bad memories.

He hated himself for the events that had followed that day.

A confused and distraught teenager, he hadn't been able to stop himself from blaming her. If she had chosen someone else as the object of her hero worship, then his mother wouldn't have been driving in the rain.

He'd slowly detached himself from her, throwing more of himself into his training, until, one day, when she was fourteen, it was time for the first World Martial Arts Tournament. Now a teacher at the Budokan, he had been sent an invitation... leaving without telling Aoi's family. His excuse was that he didn't want to disappoint them if he lost, but in reality, he just didn't want to see her smile at him and be proud of this accomplishment, when he was unfairly blaming her for his mother's accident.

He had lost, to Pai Chan's father... a skilled and experienced Chinese master. He hadn't felt too disappointed; after all, it had been his first try, and he'd still been green.

But there was no hiding it, when he won the second time around. And, it turned out to be what inspired Aoi to enter the third. Had she been mad at him, for not telling her that he had entered? He knew she would have cheered him on.

"Aoi..." she had fallen asleep, with her head on the edge of the couch cushion. It didn't look comfortable. "Aoi."

She yawned a little, sliding her head closer to his.

He sighed. "Aoi, wake up," he told her.

Slowly, her eyes opened. "What is it?"

He turned on his side, pressing his back against the back of the couch. He knew she wanted to stay out here with him. He knew he should just tell her to get back to her room, to avoid another fight with her mother... but he gave in. She was trying so hard. "Come here," he said, taking her arm and pulling her up onto the couch beside him.

She seemed too sleepy to care. "Whatever..." she mumbled, laying beside him, her forehead resting against his chest. Both of them barely fit; he was big, and she was small... so as long as they didn't move, they'd be fine. He curled an arm around her waist... to keep her from falling off, of course.

He tried to tell himself that he was only doing it because he felt guilty about imposing himself on her family... but his heart beat a little faster, and as Goh's laugh invaded the back of his mind, his arms tightened around her.

Aoi didn't seem to mind.

--

"We're damned after all.  
Through fortune and flame we fall.  
And if you can stay then I'll show you the way,  
To return from the ashes you call."

Mama - My Chemical Romance

--

Yeah, this is the BAWWWWWWWWWW chapter. Wiki must have added more on Akira recently; I don't remember them describing his personality before. Wiki says that he is, 'known to be hot-blooded and impulsive by nature. He also can be naive and intemperate.' So, I guess I do have him in character... YEAH, GO ME! Accidentally having people in character. I'm awesome.

Yeah, there will be more 'bawww' in the future. Like, a lot more 'bawww' and maybe some lemon, and possibly a tournament... and MOAR GOH. NEEDS MOAR GOH. He'll be back in the next chapter.

So I lied at the beginning of this chapter. There's probably gonna be more than six. I can't fit a good conclusion to this in the next two chapters.

Also, notes on the sparse Japanese I used. 'Sugoi' means, 'Wonderful' or 'awesome'. Basically, just another way to say, 'Yay'. 'Aniki' means 'big brother' but I'm not sure about how it is different from 'oniisan'. Mochi ice cream is ice cream covered in this gummy like substance made from rice. Mochi, by itself, is a popular New Year's candy in Japan. It can also be found at most Asian specialty stores. It's pretty good, but the texture is weird if you're not used to it. Gummy is a very loose way to describe it. It's kind of spongy, too...

Okay, leave me a review, please. I'll try to get the next chapter finished soon, but I have a lot on my plate both as far as fanfiction goes, and off the computer. Which is why it sometimes takes months.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Yay, another update. I'm trying to balance everything in my life and get this fic done at the same time (since I'm getting a job soon and won't have a lot of time to write)._

_Thus, updates will be posted regardless of new reviews... so, if I don't respond to your review personally, I'm very sorry. Thanks to everyone who's still reading and/or reviewing. It means a lot to me._

_Now, time for some super-angst. Because, yeah... this is one of my fanfictions. Needs angst. Last chapter was a little too fluffy; gotta balance that out. Also, more action scenes, because one reviewer suggested that, and it makes sense; Virtua Fighter is a fighting game, and while fighting is not the main plot device of this fanfiction (yet), it should still be in here._

--

"Well Mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue,

You should've raised a baby girl,

I should've been a better son.

If you could coddle the infection

They can amputate at once.

You should've been,

I could have been a better son."

Mama - My Chemical Romance

--

As the sun grew brighter with the morning's progress, Akira found himself waking up with some room to move around on the couch.

At first, he panicked. If Aoi was still laying next to him, there shouldn't be that extra 'wiggle' room. Sure, _she_ was tiny, but he was not, and thus, it was just as cramped as if two normal people had been laying on the couch.

"Akira, you awake yet?"

She was in the kitchen. He sat up, shaking his head. He needed to calm down... while Goh's threat still worried him, he needed to remember that Aoi was not defenseless and she did not live alone; her father was the master of their family's Aiki-jujutsu, and her younger sister, Midoriko, had no doubt also trained in it. Aoi herself was one of the most skilled martial artists in the world.

Goh Hinogami wasn't simply going to kick down her front door and kill her at his whim.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up..." he grumbled, pretending to be annoyed. He was actually just relieved... and a little disappointed that she had woken up without him.

But he wasn't going to let her know that; she was his childhood friend, but still a woman. You give a woman the slightest idea that you care, and she takes it as a license to make you her bitch. Akira had seen it happen to many great and powerful men (well, not many. Akira wasn't _that_ popular, but enough).

"Are you hungry?" she called to him.

"Why?" he called back, running a hand through his hair. It was mussed, and a little greasy... but nothing a quick shower couldn't take care of... he rubbed his chin. He needed a shave, too. "Are you cooking?"

"I was thinking about it," she replied. "So, are you hungry or not?"

He chuckled, picking up on the testiness in her voice. "Sheesh, calm down, woman..." he said, standing up and folding the blanket, before placing it on the back of the couch. "Listen, don't cook anything... gimme ten minutes, and we can go out and get something to eat," he told her, peering into the kitchen.

She gave him a funny look. "What for? I can just cook something here. And it'll be cheaper..." she pointed out.

"I know that," he agreed. "But I'm sick of you bending over backwards to take care of me and then throwing it back in my face. So I'm taking you out to lunch, okay?" he said.

For a moment, she frowned, placing her hands on her hips, her mouth opening, ready to let a whole pantheon of insults and retorts loose on him...

until she saw his lips split into a grin, and realized that he was just kidding.

"Fine," she agreed. "You take a shower, I'll get dressed," she said, heading towards her room.

"Get dressed? You are dressed," he said, mildly confused.

"Shut the hell up."

--

Fifteen minutes later, Akira stepped out of the bathroom wearing a dark blue, short sleeved shirt over a white wife-beater, and jeans. He had shaved his face, managing not to nick himself, and he looked... mostly presentable.

He walked up to the door of Aoi's room and knocked.

"Gimme a minute, seriously!" came the awkward, impatient reply.

He was spooked. She was awfully tense about going out for lunch...

and when she finally emerged from the room, he realized why.

She was wearing a light pink blouse, and a matching skirt that hung just above her knees... her hair had been pulled up into a neat and smooth ponytail, and her bangs, brushed to the side. If she was wearing make-up, it was so little that he couldn't tell.

She looked... really pretty.

It made his mouth suddenly go dry.

_'Yeah... when a guy asks his female friend out for lunch, that's usually called a date,'_ he remembered.

"Um... yeah, sorry..." she began to apologize, her cheeks turning the same color pink as her skirt. She began to smooth it out, seeming nervous. "I don't get a lot of opportunities to... go out and stuff... so I thought I'd dress up... sorry..." she said, seeing how dressed down he was.

He shook his head quickly. "No... no it's fine," he replied. "You look great," he added.

She smiled. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I mean it."

They were quiet for a few moments, before someone interrupted them.

"Aoi," it was her mother. "You promised you would pick Shiroi up from school today. Did you forget?" she asked her oldest daughter.

Aoi balked for a moment, eyebrows raising. "I don't remember that..."

"Well, I do."

"Fine," Aoi said, grabbing her purse. "Akira and I will be back in an hour or so. More than enough time for me to pick Shiroi up from school. Okay?" she told her mother.

Akira knew that Aoi's mother did not like him... but she didn't have to go this far. Making up promises? Why would Aoi offer to pick up her sister when her mother was the housewife, and had nothing better to do? "Listen..." he said, looking at Aoi, and then, at her mother. "If you don't want us to go, we can stay here. We can go out tomorrow... or whenever," he tried his best to sound polite, but really, he was just annoyed.

"No. _I_ want to go out to lunch. _I'm_ hungry," Aoi said, anunciating her pronouns clearly. She grabbed his hand, and led him to the front door. "Like I said; we'll be back in about an hour. If we're not, you just go pick her up," she said, opening the door.

"I can't. I have to go grocery shopping," Aoi's mother replied.

"Yeah, okay, mama," Aoi said, pulling him through the doorway.

"Don't you take that tone of voice with me, yo--"

Aoi slammed the door, and dug through her purse for her car keys. When she found them, she exhaled deeply, and said, "Alright, let's go."

--

Since it was Aoi's car, and she was driving, he let her choose where they would go to eat. That, and... he really didn't know of any good cafes in Kyoto. He didn't spend much time there. Her family was the only people he knew in the city.

Aoi chose the Kyoto Diamond Cafe... a two-story building with a patio, overlooking a busy street. The trees planted in front of the cafe were decorated with Christmas lights... in August. It even had valet parking.

"Hope you don't mind. This place has a great view," she said.

And it did, if you liked to watch cars pass by... but hey, most cafes wouldn't even let you see that. The tables were small, made for two (or four, if you really wanted to squish people in), and the chair was large and comfortable. The air-conditioning worked, and the waitresses were dressed in neat black, white and forest green uniforms.

They both had iced coffee to start... and like most cafes, it wasn't worth the price. Small glasses filled with maybe six ounces of coffee, milk and chocolate syrup, and the rest was ice. But that was part of going out to eat; spending more than you should for things that you normally wouldn't eat.

It was after a few moments of silence, both of them looking out of the wide, glass wall, that Aoi asked, very bluntly, "I... took this wrong, didn't I? You weren't asking me out on a date... you just wanted to get something to eat..."

That was the easiest way to sum it up, and Akira wasn't going to lie to her. "Yeah, pretty much..." he agreed. "Sorry."

"Yeah. I guess that was my fault..." she said, and although her tone was calm, he had a feeling that... things were about to get ugly. "I mean, when someone pulls you up onto a couch and falls asleep with you, _that close_, and then asks you out to eat, that's obviously not a date."

Her voice was quiet, but she wasn't hiding her sarcasm.

"Look, I'm sorry, what else do you want me to say?" he replied. "I don't go on dates. I'm not very experienced with this stuff. I think it's kind of pointless, to be honest."

"Oh, so it was just bad timing on your part?" she replied.

"I know that you're not going to believe me, but yes, it was," he said.

She was quiet, and then said, "Okay... fine. Just stop sending mixed messages, then."

"Mixed messages? What the hell, Aoi?"

Aoi opened her mouth to respond, but their waitress cut them off.

"Hello... my name is Himeko. I'll be your waitress. What can I get you?" she asked them both, looking a little... surprised.

"Beef bowl, please," Akira said, handing her the menu.

"Chicken yakisoba," Aoi said curtly, before handing over her own menu.

"O-kay..." Himeko said. "I'll be back in a bit with your food," she said, leaving them alone.

Once more, they were quiet for a few moments.

When Aoi opened her mouth, probably to provoke another arguement, Akira cut her off. "Don't say it," he warned her.

"Or what?" she replied, both annoyed and amused by his sudden threat. Whatever it was, she didn't think he'd do it.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess I'll kiss you again."

"What the hell kind of thre--"

Akira leaned across the table, grabbed her face, and kissed her.

Across the street, at the J'aime Cafe, a man with a scar on his left cheek watched, his lips splitting into a grin. Why? Because he knew that they were finally working things out and possibly getting closer to that happy ending they both secretly dreamed of.

And he would relish, with great joy, putting a quick end to those dreams.

--

"Wow, you guys got into another fight?" Midoriko asked, as she and her older sister sat on the couch, watching a reality television show. Aoi didn't like reality television, but her sister had the remote, and Aoi just wanted someone to talk to. Their parents were obviously out of the question.

"Yeah... I know, I just can't help it. Every time we're nice to each other, I just... start ruining it," Aoi answered, pulling her knees up to her chest. Akira had decided to go somewhere with their father; neither man had said where. It was probably a guy thing.

"You know, there's a word for that little problem," Midoriko said, popping a few wasabi peas into her mouth.

"There is?" Aoi asked, perking up for a moment.

"Yeah, it's called sexual tension, stupid. Why don't you and Akira just do it and get it over with, already? Then maybe mom will bitch more about you and less about me," Midoriko said with a mischeivous smirk.

Aoi picked up a throw pillow and hit her younger sister with it. "Mama bitches about me, too. I think the only one of us that she doesn't bitch about is Shiroi-chan," Aoi said.

"Yeah, whatever. Shiroi's weird," Midoriko said. "But anyway. You and Akira are victims of sexual tension. And there's only one cure for that..."

"I don't know when you grew up..." Aoi began, standing up. "But stop it, or I'm telling mama," she joked.

"Yeah, okay. Where are you going?" Midoriko asked.

"I'm going to go train a bit..."

"You know, working out is like denial in your situation, right?" Midoriko called after her.

--

Aoi's limbs moved swiftly, almost robotically, in the steps and strikes she had learned growing up, but her mind wasn't focused on practicing her techniques. It was elsewhere, and it showed in the subtle flaws in her form. It would take a pro to notice it, at Aoi's level, but it was there.

She was thinking about Akira. Was Midoriko right? Probably so. The girl was a bit flighty and prone to submitting to peer pressure, but she wasn't stupid. In fact, she was a lot smarter about people than Aoi was. Probably because she'd spent her adolescence outside, interacting with others, instead of focusing solely on getting into college and becoming the perfect heir for their father's dojo. Aoi didn't regret deciding to inherit the dojo; but the path she had chosen was vastly different from the one her younger sister seemed intent on.

She and Akira had kissed twice. Both times had been pleasant, to say the least, and she would gladly do it again. She cared about him deeply; she always had, and those feelings wouldn't go away. They certainly hadn't in the ten year span, in which they hadn't seen each other.

Akira seemed to care, as well. He was finally noticing how many things she had to balance; she hadn't been to the college campus in three weeks. If she ever checked her email, she'd probably find emails from her professors, asking her to pick up the work she'd missed. She was avoiding it. She attended a very good college, on a sports scholarship. She and Akira were still very well-known, and Japan prided themselves on... well, anything that they could.

He seemed a lot better than he had been the week before. He wasn't hell-bent on getting a drink anymore, and that was good. Aoi's face flushed; it felt good to make a difference in another person's life. It also felt good to be appreciated for it, and slowly, Akira was coming to appreciate her.

Neither of them could deny that they were attracted to each other now. She had grown up into a beautiful young woman, and he... well, he wasn't bad looking. No, he was good-looking, in a rugged sort of way; mussed hair, wrinkled clothing, and stubble suited him well. Clean-shaven and dressed up, he just didn't look as good. Spending the last ten years apart had made them grow up differently; she was now his foil, and he was hers. Opposites did, indeed, attract.

Midoriko was right, she decided.

But, fixing the problem was the problem; they were finally working things out. She didn't want to complicate things. And she wasn't a seductress. She didn't know _how_ to seduce men, because she had been taught that it wasn't a proper thing to do. And even if she hadn't, she was a straight-forward person; seduction was an art better left to people like Pai Chan and Brad Burns. Aoi's lips curled into a frown, and she made a little snort of distaste as she exhaled and her foot landed on the hardwood floor.

Brad was a womanizer, and Pai was... well, two-faced. Aside from their obviously over-active libidos, those qualities weren't ones she held in high-esteem. Their only saving graces were that they were very skilled martial artists. Even then, in their last match, she had nearly tied Brad... he'd only gotten serious about winning after he'd realized that there was no way in hell he was getting her number.

Brad was also an idiot, and Aoi didn't respect ignorant people.

_'You're also assuming that Akira would sleep with you if given the opportunity,'_ she reminded herself. That was a little presumptuous and concieted. But, then again, he was obivously interested...

Aoi felt her face get hot, and her foot landed wrong as it came down from a kick. She stumbled, for the first time in years, and quietly cursed herself.

"Smooth move," a voice said to her, calmly... but the tone had something deeper in it. Mocking. "I guess you're really not so tough."

She regained her composure and turned around, to see Goh... god, he was creepy! His skin was so pale... that scar and the facial piercings didn't help, either. Neither did wearing blue or black, the two colors that further highlighted his deathly paleness, but perhaps that was the point. Today, he had chosen the black trench coat. He'd dressed up for this occasion, and part of her wondered why.

"What are you doing here? This is private property. The gym is closed today. How did you get in?" she demanded. The gym was connected to her family's home, but there was another entrance that students used to get in. It was locked, however.

"What, that flimsy bolt lock?" he said, opening his fist to show her a piece that had been removed. "Not really that hard, if you know what you're doing. Maybe if you were paying more attention to your surroundings, you would have noticed me sooner," he taunted her, dropping the piece of the lock. It rolled across the floor, stopping a few steps from her feet.

"That's called breaking and entering. Get out of my house now, or I'm calling the police," she warned him, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, I doubt it. I haven't even answered your first question yet," he said, with a growing grin.

"I really don't care," she said, and then turned towards the door leading back into her house. "Mido--" she began to shout, but he dashed forward, catching her off-guard... thrusting his fist into her abdomen.

She stumbled back, doubling over in shock and pain. She glared up at him; what a cheap shot... "I take it that this isn't a social call, Hinogami," she spat, holding her stomach.

"Unless you consider assassinations social events, not really," he agreed, pulling his gloves down. He figured that at this point, she was going to be an easy kill. She had sisters, after all; she be distracted with thoughts of their safety, and whatever had been on her mind before he'd announced himself. He'd already caught her once. He already had the upper hand.

"Why?" she asked, her voice bitter, as if she expected him to have some personal vendetta.

He laughed. "Because I was ordered to. It's nothing personal... I'm sure that if things were different, I'd love to get you in the sack..." he taunted her, taking a small step to the side to avoid a front snap kick. "But... I guess I'll just have to settle for a bodybag."

"Why me?" she pushed, forcing herself to stand up straight. Her stomach ached from the punch, dull shots of pain rippling through her side. She gritted her teeth. She'd have to fight... if she didn't, he'd probably go after her mother and sisters next. Midoriko was very advanced in their family's style, but she was not match for Goh. Their mother and Shiroi were basically defenseless.

"You're becoming a problem to my superiors. You actually stand a chance in the World Martial Arts tournament. Despite being the smallest female competitor, aside from that under-aged Chinese brat, you have made it farther than any other female competitor, gaining third place during your first entry, four years ago. You've mastered three different martial arts, putting you on par with Sarah Bryant for the most diverse fighter. Unfortunately..." he rolled his shoulders back, grinning again. "My superiors chose her and not you. You have potential. But, unlike Vanessa Lewis, you have absolutely nothing special to offer Judgement 6. Therefore, you must be eliminated before you become a problem," he finished.

How ironic. Because she was skilled, an unknown group had been a bounty on her head. She'd certainly never seen that coming.

"Well..." she began. "I'm flattered. But I'm not letting you kill me or my family."

"I don't give a shit about your family," he said. "My only orders are to kill you. And trust me, you'll be more than enough to satisfy me for the day," he said.

"That makes this a lot easier on me, then," she muttered.

"It'll be easiest on you if you just give up. I promise, it will be quick... I'll even leave you pretty, so that your family can have an open wake," he said, raising his fists.

"No way in hell!" Aoi shouted, enraged. She charged at him, throwing out a punch... things seemed to move slowly as adrenaline filtered into her veins, making her heartbeat faster, making her anxious but confident. She could see his hands moving, ready to grab her wrist and take her down... but she was faster. Goh didn't realize that women were born with faster reflexes, and Aoi had been honing hers since she was a child. And with her adrenaline rush... he'd be lucky if he hit her at all.

"No way!" Her hands locked around his arm, and she stuck out her leg, flipping him over it. He landed on his back, and rolled away from her... his grin was gone, and it gave her a mild feeling of satisfaction.

"So, kitty does have claws..." he hissed. "You just lost your only chance at a merciful demise. Get ready to die slowly and painfully, bitch," he told her.

"Shut the hell up and fight," she replied.

Enraged, he ran forward... but he was sluggish for someone so skilled. Easily, she intercepted him, landing an elbow in his gut, and then, following it with a knee. He stumbled back, but managed to duck her next blow. While she recovered from a missed opportunity, he siezed one by kicking her ankle out, throwing her off balance just long enough to grab her by the waist and plow her into the ground. He heard her try to swallow a whimper of pain... it sent a chill down his spine.

As she tried to push herself up, he walked around her, knelt down, and grabbed her arm. He lifted it up, preparing to land a rib-crushing strike, but she surprised him by pulling up her knees and sliding them forward, thrusting a leg out at his chest. Startled, he dropped her arm and fell back, giving her the time to stand up.

As he recovered, she swung her leg around. Quite easily, he sidestepped it, ending up at her back. His arms came around her waist, picking her up and slamming her into the ground, this time, face-up.

He watched her as she laid there for a moment, prone. He was wary of grabbing her again. Last time, she had retaliated... was she still strong enough to do so again?

She didn't move... He listened to her heavy pants, and then, weakly, she tried to push herself up.

He smirked. No, she was pretty much finished. He knelt down, grabbing her by the hair, pulling her up to eye level. "You should've taken my generous offer... you're fucking pathetic," he laughed at her. "You know... a few days ago, I met your boyfriend in the park. Did he tell you?" he asked. He didn't care for her response. "Heheh... well, I had orders to kill him, too, but that didn't work out so well. My chest still fucking aches because of that asshole..." he continued. "So, I think once I'm done carving up your pretty face, I'm going to take out your heart. How does that sound?"

"You're... fucking disgusting..."

"Oh, it gets better, princess. A few weeks, maybe a few months, after your funeral, once everyone has settled down... hey, maybe even a few years, when he has another girlfriend... I'm going to mail him your heart. And then, as he's staring down into that little package in horror, screaming, or cursing me out, or crying or whatever, I'm going to kill him. And do you know why I'd wait years? Just to fuck with him. Make him paranoid, make him really, really hate me... that way, the look on his face when I stab him in the throat will be so priceless..." He was laughing so hard that he was almost crying.

"You're a monster..."

"Tell me something I don't know, sweetheart," he replied. "But you know what the sickest part about it is? I wasn't born a monster... oh, no, darling, believe me when I say that there are even more disgusting people in the world, and they make monsters like me."

Goh pulled out a knife, the same knife he had intended to kill Akira with, but Aoi had managed to gather some strength while lying there, listening to his little speech. Her hand shot out like a snake striking it's prey, catching him in the throat. He let go of her hair, and tried to get back, but she sat up, and grabbed his wrist. She twisted it around, and turned, forcing him to the ground. He dropped the knife, and she kicked it away with her hand.

He laughed again as he reached into his jacket with his free hand, making no attempt to free himself from her grasp...

It was a little too late when Aoi noticed the shine of metal, and realized what it was.

"Aoi!"

There was a blur of forest green, and someone pushed her back, forcing her to let go of Goh's wrist... she stumbled, landing on the floor, and Goh's arm swung around...

"Mama, n--"

Aoi was cut off by a gunshot.

Her mother didn't scream. In fact, she didn't move for a few moments, as Goh straightened up and realized that the person he had shot was not Aoi.

Ayumi Umenokouji slapped him.

He reeled back, but said nothing... he stared at her blankly, as if asking, _'What was that for?'_

"Watch your goddamned mouth in my house..." she said, and then coughed, blood appearing at the corners of her lips. She placed a hand over the wound in her chest, feeling the blood leaving her chest... she pushed down, but she knew she couldn't stop it. It had most definitely been too close to her heart, a fatal wound.

"How dare you... disrespect my daughter..." she said weakly. "I would never see her die at the hands of someone so unworthy... a monster so horrendous... not my daughter..." Her legs finally gave out, and she fell.

Aoi caught her, and gently knelt down on the floor, holding her. "Mama?!" she shrieked, tears pouring down her face. There was a lump in her throat and fear taking hold in her chest. Her mother was dying... there was nothing she could do. But, she couldn't accept that, and began to scream for her sisters. "Midoriko! Shiroi!"

Goh was still silent, as if he didn't know what to do. He had grown up without parents; his mother had deserted him and his father, and then, his father had been killed over a spot at the Olympics. J6 had taken him in as a child, raised him to become a ruthless monster... he had forced himself to enjoy killing, enjoy torturing and maiming, in order to keep doing it, because there was no other way. But, along the way, that lie had become a truth. Now, watching a daughter hold her mother... a woman who had taken a bullet without a sound, and then, slapped him for his rudeness... he was confused. His thoughts spun, and he couldn't raise the gun to fire again at the daughter.

"Aoi..." her mother coughed, looking up at her. Ayumi forced a smile. "I want you to know... that I'm proud of you..." she said.

"Mama... don't..." Aoi said.

"I couldn't... give Ryudo a son... but you tried so hard to become the perfect son _and_ the perfect daughter for us both... and then, for Midori and Shi... the perfect big sister. You tried to be the perfect heir for your father, and still, the model college student for me. And yet, you never thought it was enough... you had to take in Akira, too..." Ayumi coughed again. "You've done so much... for our family... I think it was time that I did something for you."

"Mama... please don't talk like that... you've done a lot, for all of us... you really..." Aoi's tears kept flowing, and she couldn't finish her sentence. She couldn't accept that her mother was dying. Her blood had seeped through her kimono, and now, was staining Aoi's gym clothing, sticky and warm.

"Aoi... promise me that you'll rest now. You don't have to be everything to everyone anymore. You can refuse to inherit the dojo, you don't have to graduate... you can run away with Akira, if that's what you really want..."

"Mama, I didn't mean that one... I just said that to make you mad..."

"I know..." Weakly, Ayumi laughed. "I'm sorry... that you have to watch me die. Will you forgive me, Aoi?"

Aoi knew that her mother wasn't asking for forgiveness for that, but for all of the things she had pushed Aoi to do, for all of the decisions Aoi hadn't been able to make for herself... for all of the fights, for all of the time wasted being angry at each other for no reason.

"I forgive you, mama..."

Ayumi nodded, content to die knowing her daughter didn't hate her. She smiled one last time, and her last breath left her lips, almost a happy sigh.

"... Mama?"

There was no answer, and Aoi's fear was replaced with anger and sorrow. She lifted one hand and closed her mother's eyes... she gently laid her body on the floor, away from the pool of blood... She was also covered in it, staining her jogging pants and t-shirt, but she didn't care. The blood would wash away... but her feelings would not.

At that moment, Aoi hated Goh Hinogami with everything she had... She stood up, and walked to the knife she had separated from him. She picked it up, and felt the solid weight in her hand; it was just a butterfly knife, not heavy at all. She doubted it took much skill to use... which was good. Aoi had never stabbed anyone before, and after today, she wouldn't ever again.

But Goh Hinogami would deserve everyone wound she inflicted on him. He had taken someone precious from her, and had no doubt taken many lives... why should he live? Why should she continue to be a good person and let him go free after all of the sins he'd committed? She was no angel of death, but if she stopped him now, it would be a great service to the public. One less psychopathic murderer. No one would miss him, and no one would blame her.

She walked back to Goh, looking at him with cold grey eyes, rimmed with red.

"Come on... beg for your life, like you expected me to," she said, holding up the knife. She didn't care that he still had a gun. Even if he shot her, she'd kill him anyway... even if it killed her, too. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't slice your sorry ass from sternum to scrotum. You think I won't fucking do it? You just killed my mother... you tried to kill me. You tried to kill my best friend. You're fucking kidding yourself if you think I won't."

"What the fuck ever made you think I'd beg for my life, you stupid little whore?" he retorted.

Aoi didn't care what name he called her... she didn't care that he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of begging for his worthless life... she was going to kill him either way. She raised the knife, ready to strike him...

A pair of arms grabbed her, dragging her back. "Aoi, stop it... it won't make you any better than him..." Akira told her, restraining her arms.

She struggled, dropping the knife to the floor. "I don't care! He killed my mom! THAT FUCKER SHOT MY MOTHER--"

"You think your mother would want you to turn into a cold-hearted killer, too?" Akira whispered in her ear. "Aoi... I won't let you become that person... the same you didn't let me drown myself in booze. It's my turn to save you now. Let me," he told her.

Aoi stopped struggling. "Get the hell out of here!" she screamed at Hinogami. "Now!"

Goh turned and ran for the door. If he shot either of them, the other would snap every bone in his body, without a doubt.

Akira let her go, but she turned around, and threw her arms around his shoulders. She buried her face in his neck and began to sob.

All he could do was hold her until the police arrived... part of him wished that he had let her have her revenge.

But now, they were even.

--

"A man

Has gun

Hey man

Have fun

Nice shot"

Hey Man, Nice Shot - Filter

--

Author's Note: I cried a little bit while writing this... I had planned to kill off Aoi's mother from the beginning. Not because I hate her or anything, but because I like writing really angsty stuff, and I was drained of plot ideas because of my MI fanfiction. The way Ayumi died is a nod to Helena Douglas, of DOA. Helena was awesome until Tecmo decided that she was suicidal. It's also a nod to my good friend Megho, who killed off Kasumi Todoh's mom in her fanfiction. Good stuff.

Anyways, leave a review. I'll try to have the next chapter done soon, but no promises. Busy busy...


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Yay! This fanfiction has twice as many reviews as chapters! I consider that to be an accomplishment, especially considering that only one of them was a flame, and most of them were constructive. I think quality is better than quantity, when it comes to writing.

This fanfiction is quickly becoming one of my favorite works... I know I said that it was 'obligatory' at first, because it was a canon pairing that I wasn't originally fond of... but now that I've discovered Akira's personality, I think I like it.

I'm skipping over Ayumi's funeral... because funerals aren't very interesting to write about. I'll just mention bits and pieces of it. More exciting stuff happens in this chapter, yay!

--

"Now that the smokes gone  
And the air is all clear  
Those who were right there  
Got a new kind of fear  
You'd fight and you were right  
But they were just too strong  
Theyd stick it in your face  
And let you smell what they consider wrong"

Hey Man, Nice Shot - Filter

--

The police had recovered the handgun, the piece of the bolt lock, and the butterfly knife, but were unable to identify the fingerprints on any of them, aside from Aoi's on the knife. Whether for fashion or function, Goh had been wearing gloves, but Aoi and Akira both doubted that his fingerprints would've helped the police catch him, anyway.

The case had quickly gone to a dead end, and Ayumi's body was released to a funeral home, for burial preparations. Almost a week after her death, the family held the wake.

Everyone had dressed in black. Akira had sat with the remaining Umenokoujis, but next to Aoi's father. As the new matriarch of the family, it was Aoi's job to comfort her sisters and look strong. She had already cried for many nights over her mother's death, and shed no tears at the wake. The middle sister cried loudly, almost hysterically, and the youngest was stone-faced. She was probably still too young to understand that their mother wasn't coming back. Sometime within the next month, it would probably hit her.

Aoi's father had cried. Not as loudly as his middle daughter, but his wife was gone. They had been married for 25 years, most of that time had been happily spent.

Akira hated to see them so upset... and felt that, partially, it was his fault. After all, if he hadn't gone back to Aoi, Goh probably wouldn't have found her. It was his fault in the same way that it had been her fault for his mother's death; not really his fault, but he was involved.

In the week after the burial, Aoi's family had received many gifts and condolences. Aoi was given the burden of thanking everyone and basically becoming her mother; her younger sister was still too upset, and the youngest was too young. Her father had to look over the dojo and his students.

Akira had tried to help, but he was a horrible cook, and not very good at keeping things tidy. Doing the dishes and sweeping, things that were easily accomplished and required little actual skill, were things that he could do.

Many nights, Aoi snuck out of her room and into the guest room. She was scared, and damaged from watching her mother's murder. Akira soon found himself staying awake to wait for her, falling asleep only after she had come in and settled down beside him. Sometimes, she cried... other times, she just trembled. Once, she had tried to talk to him... but that had ended in tears.

Mostly, he just listened to her and held her, unable to find the right words to comfort her. There weren't any; he couldn't bring her mother back. He couldn't force her sister to stop grieving and help with the housework. He couldn't promise that Goh wouldn't come back, because in all likelihood, he would, and try twice as hard to kill them.

He'd been staying with them for a month when a invitation to the next World Martial Arts Tournament came in the mail.

But it was odd. Under new rules, it said that it was a tag tournament. It had never been a tag tournament before... he wanted to show it to Aoi right away, but something held him back.

Goh Hinogami _always_ showed up at the tournament, without fail. Would she really be ready to face him again?

That wasn't his decision to make. It was hers.

"That's interesting," was all she said. No hint of whether or not she wanted to go. No mention of Hinogami. She just said, 'That's interesting' and went back to cooking dinner.

He showed it to her father the next day, who seemed surprised. "She didn't say anything at all?" he asked.

Akira shook his head. "No, nothing."

"That's odd... I know how stressed out she is, but she's usually very excited for the tournament," he mumbled, rubbing his chin.

"Yeah... the two-person team thing is strange. Maybe she doesn't like the idea," Akira suggested.

"Did you ask her to be your partner?" her father questioned.

"I showed her the invitation."

"Yes, but did you ask her if she wanted to team up?" he pushed.

Akira shook his head. "No, not directly..."

Ryudo sighed. "Akira... let me make this very clear," he said, growing serious. "You're taking my daughter to that tournament. And if she comes back with so much as a single bruise, I'll beat you senseless. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Akira was taken aback. "Yeah... I guess so," he answered. He had planned on asking Aoi to be his partner... he'd just assumed that once she'd seen the invitation, it would be clear that teaming up made too much sense to ignore.

"Good. Now, go invite Aoi," Ryudo said, and returned his attention to his students.

At first, Aoi seemed a little confused. "You want to team up with me?" she asked him.

"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it?" he said.

"Don't you want to team up with someone else?" she asked, curious.

"No, why would I?" he replied.

"I don't know... there are stronger options. Like Wolf Hawkfield, or Jacky Bryant..." she said.

"Wolf and Jacky are both nice guys, but... Jacky's a bit hot-headed, and Wolf's too serious. I don't think I'd synch up well with them," he said.

She thought about it for a moment. "Alright..." she decided. "I'll go with you."

"It's in two weeks," he said.

Her eyes widened a bit, but she sighed, and resumed doing the dishes. "Doesn't give us a lot of time to prepare... oh well."

"Two weeks is more than enough time. It's not like either of us is out of practice," he reminded her.

She winced a little, and it took him a few moments to figure out why... _Goh._ They weren't out of practice because he had tried to kill him. "Aoi, I'm sorry," he began to apologize.

"It's fine." Her voice was indifferent, as if she were trying to ignore or suppress her pain and anger.

He still felt that it wasn't _'fine'._

--

In the mornings, while Midoriko and Shiroi were at school, they finished doing all of the housework quickly, and Aoi threw somethings into the crock pot, letting them cook all afternoon and giving herself and Akira time to train.

After a few days of this routine, it seemed to be working pretty well. It required a lot more effort, but it was worth it. They couldn't _not_ train before the tournament.

As they sat on the floor of the dojo, sipping bottled water during their break, she looked at him and asked, very seriously, "We'll be gone for a week... who's going to take care of the house?"

He shrugged. "Your sisters," he responded.

"Well, Shiroi is good at doing chores, but Midoriko is a horrible cook. She'll burn down the kitchen," Aoi replied, shaking her head.

"So have Midoriko do the chores and Shiroi can cook," he told her. Simple as that.

But Aoi continued to shake her head. "Shiroi's too young to cook dinner. She doesn't know how yet," she told him.

He was getting a little annoyed. Did she not want to go to the tournament or something? "Then Midoriko and Shiroi can split the chores however they like, and then they can order take-out," he replied.

"Oh... I guess so... It's only for a week, after all..." she said, pulling her knees up to her chest.

She looked so vulnerable, so lost, he felt that he had to apologize again, though he didn't know what he'd done to make her act that way.

"Aoi, I'm--"

"Let's get back to training," she said calmly, standing up and walking back to the middle of the dojo.

--

Aoi didn't come to his room that night. Or the following night. Maybe she was too tired, he figured, from all of the training... they trained for at least four hours everyday. It would wear anyone out. Or maybe she didn't need the comfort anymore. Maybe she was getting past her mother's death.

He hated to admit it, but he missed her when she wasn't there.

--

She stopped sneaking into his room completely. He wanted to ask her about it, but how? _Uh, hey, you stopped coming into my room at night..._ She shouldn't have started doing it in the first place.

Mostly, he just wanted to know what was wrong.

But maybe nothing was wrong. Maybe something was right, and that was the problem.

They were at the airport, sitting in stiff plastic chairs, waiting for their flight to start boarding. They'd already checked their bags in, they could see the plane parked at the gate, the foldaway hallway already stretched out and attached to it.

She looked at him, smiling, and he could tell that she was excited.

Maybe there was nothing wrong at all.

Their flight was finally called.

_"Flight 1267, nonstop from Tokyo to London, is now boarding."_

Aoi stood up, and he did the same. "Ready to go?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

As they walked towards the gate, a slight bounce in Aoi's step, he couldn't help but wonder, _'But are you really ready, Aoi? Are you ready to face Hinogami again?'_

--

"I'll lay me down tonight  
Much further down  
Swim in the calm tonight  
This art does drown"

Girls Not Grey - AFI

--

_Author's Note: Yup, that's the end of this chapter. Sorry, I know it's short. Next one will be longer. World Tag Tournament? YEAH BABY. I tried to make tag teams that sort of made sense... but it was hard. Some characters had a lot of options (like Pai, Wolf, and Lau) and some had absolutely none (like El Blaze)._

_In any case... next chapter coming... whenever. I know, I'm horrible with updates. I'm very lazy. But I'll finish this fanfiction if it's the last thing I do! It just might be, too... jk, jk._


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Okay, talking to my bff about some Virtua Fighter gave me the inspiration to start this chapter. So, here we go._

_Lots of fighting... hopefully, I have enough creativity left after finishing my manuscript to get it all out. I hope so._

--

**Look Away**

**An Akira/Aoi fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.**

--

"(What follows) me as the whitest lace of light  
(Will swallow whole) just begs to be imbrued?  
(What follows) has led me to this place  
where I belong, with all erased  
What follows"

Girls Not Grey - AFI

--

The plane ride was long, but there was no avoiding that... from Tokyo to London? A twelve-hour flight wasn't that bad, and two hours into the flight, Aoi had gotten tired (or bored), and fallen asleep on Akira's shoulder. Not wanting to wake her, he decided to flag down a stewardess, get a pillow, and take a nap himself.

When they awoke, it was only three more hours until they landed in London, and the time passed rather quickly.

Soon enough, Aoi had her nose pressed to the window next to her seat, looking down at the dim city lights from above the capitol of the United Kingdom. Every so often, she would glance back at him, trying to hide that anxious half-smile, but he knew, and he smiled back at her.

As they got ever closer to their destination, he found his thoughts drifting to the tournament. Usually, he kept his head clear until after the first match was over, but this time was different. This time, he had a partner. He wanted to win, as he always did, but this time... he wanted to win for her, too. If they won, she would have something to concentrate on, something to distract her from the pain of her mother's passing. Something to be proud of again. And, it would attract more students to her family's gym, and they wouldn't fall into financial ruin.

He shook his head. He had to focus on winning for himself... he couldn't use Aoi as a crutch. And he couldn't let her use him as one, either.

But when it was so easy...

The fasten seat belts light came on above their heads, and the stewardesses began to walk by, checking. They were about to land.

Aoi grabbed his hand, squeezing it, but not out of fear... just pure excitement.

"I can't wait until we get to the hotel... I love the tournament!" she said, forgetting that she had ever considered not going. He could guess why she liked it so much; she got to meet new people, and the tournament sponsors put all of the competitors up in a nice hotel... in suites.

Ah, he hadn't considered that. Would the tag-teams be sharing suites?

Not that it should matter... he and Aoi had slept in the same room. But that was in her family's home. This was different... this was a hotel.

This was a _tournament_. He sighed. He was over-thinking it. He and Aoi both clearly knew the boundaries of their relationship now. They were friends... any romantic encounters were doomed to end in an argument. They relied on each other as friends should.

She hadn't let go of his hand yet.

It wasn't feeling very friendly.

--

At the airport, they picked up their bags, and went to hail a taxi, but they found a man with a sign bearing their names. After all, they had entered together. Aoi walked towards him, unconcerned, dragging Akira and her rolling suitcase behind her.

He was a chauffeur, who ushered them into a black Escalade with tinted windows. The back seat was spacious, and he loaded their luggage into the trunk, before getting into the driver's seat.

"Oh, the hotel sent you?" Aoi guessed.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

"Alright, that was nice of them..." she said. They had never done that before, but with individual entrants, they would have had to send too many cars, she figured. "Do you have a copy of the tournament program?" she asked him.

"Yes, ma'am, right there in the pocket behind my seat," he answered.

Aoi grabbed it, immediately flipping through it. She kept them as keepsakes from each tournament, in lieu of expensive souvenirs, and had one from the third, fourth, and fifth tournaments, all in protective plastic sleeves.

Akira was quiet during the ride, staring out the window, to avoid looking at Aoi while she read. Even looking at books or magazines while he was in the car made him nauseous... he'd been like that ever since he was a kid, but he wasn't sure if Aoi knew. No sense in troubling her.

Within a few minutes time, he could see the hotel... it was much grander than the venue of the last tournament, and much more elegant. Looking at it gave him a feeling of foreboding... not because he knew that he wouldn't fit in there. He never seemed to fit in anywhere.

_Well... I guess I fit in at the Umenokouji house pretty well... and bars. But anyone can fit in at a bar._

Why were the sponsors spending so much more money on it, this time? It seemed odd... Aoi probably hadn't noticed, and he didn't blame her for it. With all of the hassles she'd had to deal with over the past months, having someone, or something, else take care of everything and treat her like a celebrity was probably not something she was going to question. Plus, she was so excited.

Bigger, more ritzy hotel, bigger venue, chauffeurs to pick them up... he wouldn't be surprised if the suites turned out to be more like villas; miniature, fully furnished apartments. Where was all of this money coming from? Certainly, the sponsors weren't making that much off of the advertising... it just didn't seem possible. Sure, the World Martial Arts Tournament was one of the biggest tournaments in the world, but... this was just so much. And every year, more and more people attended.

Well, maybe that did balance it out.

But it still seemed excessive...

He shook his head. It seemed excessive to him, because he spent all of his time travelling or training, and he wasn't rich. He just wasn't accustomed to it. Maybe this was perfectly normal for an event so large.

"Oooh... you know that this is the biggest hotel in London?" Aoi said, tugging at his sleeve.

"Yeah, I kinda guessed that," he chuckled wryly.

"You know that the American President has stayed here? And the French Prime Minister?" she continued. "And a ton of movie stars!"

He shook his head again, smiling this time. "Maybe we'll meet one," he said to her.

"You think so?!" she said, her excitement growing. She was like a kid again... he just hoped that all of this excitement wouldn't spoil her performance at the tournament. She would need to be level-headed in the ring.

Of course, Aoi knew that, too.

--

Aoi was more than happy with the suite... almost as soon as they arrived, she was rushing around the suite, marveling at everything inside. "There's a kitchen! And a couch! And a balcony!"

Akira didn't bother to remind her that her house had those things, too, but she was never excited about that.

"Um... anou..." her voice had lost some excitement, and he worried, setting down their bags to go and find her.

"What is it?" he called, quickly finding himself lost in the too-large hotel suite.

"I'm in the bedroom, Akira!" she said.

"Oh," he sighed, and found his way there. As he had expected, there was only one bed. It was one of the large, Western-style ones, with a big wooden frame and a sturdy headboard, all carved out of solid mahogany... but it was still just one bed. He shrugged. "So what?"

She glanced up at him, blinking. "Ara... it's okay if we share a bed?" she asked him.

"Well... I guess they just assumed that we were an item. Or someone told them as much," he said sheepishly. "But we've slept together before, Aoi. It's fine."

"Anou... I know that..." she agreed, a light blush on her face. "This is a hotel room, Akira. We're alone."

"We were alone in the guest room, too," he responded. He knew what she was getting at. In her house, they weren't ever actually alone. Her sisters or father could burst in on them at any moment, and they probably would, too, if they thought anything was going on. It was actually pretty weird. "Would you feel more comfortable if I slept on the couch?" he offered. Of course, they had tried that once, too...

She shook her head quickly. "No, no! It's okay. The bed is big enough..." she said, looking down at it intently, studying it. Her voice dropped very low, and she mumbled, "I'll just, um... sleep on one side, and you sleep on the other..."

He gave her an odd look. "Why are you acting weird about this?" he asked her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She blushed again. "Y-yes... I'm okay. You're right, I don't know what I was thinking," she apologized.

So, they stood there for a moment, both of them silent, looking at the bed. They both knew what she had been thinking.

"Aoi, just because we're alone in a hotel room doesn't mean---" he began, but a knock came at the door.

Aoi was far too quick to chirp, "I'll go get it!" She rushed out of the room, and he wasn't sure if he was relieved or annoyed about it.

Slowly, he followed after her. It was probably just the bell-boy, but...

"Ah! Lion-san! Mushi-mushi!"

Aoi sounded very, very excited again.

"Mademoiselle Aoi!"

Akira frowned a bit. It was that blond, French kid... the annoying one. And he seemed to be friends with Aoi.

_Well, that figures. I bet she's friends with Jacky and Sarah, too..._ he thought. And Shun-Di and that little Chinese girl and that Mexican wrestler... she was probably friends with all of the other fighters that he found annoying. Sure, he respected them as competitors, but personally, they grated on his nerves. All of them were either loud or concieted or just had some odd tics that made him uncomfortable.

"Is it true?" Lion asked earnestly, as he leaned against the doorway, while Aoi held the door open. He still hadn't noticed Akira.

"Huh?"

"That you're teaming with that brute, Akira Yuki. That's what the tournament program had listed... so?" Lion asked him.

Akira chuckled, and the blond suddenly noticed him, blue eyes bulging for a moment. He swallowed, clearly embarrassed.

"Well... yes," Aoi said. "And please don't call my teammate a brute, Lion-san. Only I get to do that," she giggled, placing a hand over her mouth.

"This brute is going to watch television. Have fun, kids," he told them, heading into the living room, indifferent. He could care less about what Lion Rafale thought of him. Lion was arrogant, to put it mildly. He didn't know when to keep his trap shut, and when he won, he bragged to no end.

Aoi certainly had odd tastes in friends. Maybe they found some common ground because they were about the same age.

Who cared?

"So, who are you teamed up with, Lion-san?" Aoi asked him. He could still hear their conversation in the living room, so he turned up the television.

"Well... pickings are pretty slim in Europe. Most of the real competitors are from America or Asia..." Lion said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I ended up paying a visit to Monsieur Burns," he admitted.

"You'd have been better off entering solo," Aoi muttered, her face getting red. She and Brad were a sore spot... Brad was a womanizing, overindulged idiot who made Lion look like a polite, refined young man. His main reason for entering the World Tournament? To find better competitors. He was the undefeated European Kicking Boxing Champion. His reason for returning every year? Women. He kept hounding all of the female competitors for their phone numbers, trying to get into their pants. Unfortunately, he had made a rival out of Aoi... and at their last match, she had tauntingly promised that if he beat her, she would go on a date with him.

Brad was the reason Aoi hadn't made it to the semi-finals at the last tournament.

After their match, she screamed for Vanessa and Sarah's help, and Vanessa literally beat the snot out of him while Sarah hid her in the hotel room. Afterward, both women had chided her for her cockiness.

But something told Aoi that Brad wasn't going to just forget about it.

"Don't worry, I haven't told him what room you're in. I told the front desk not to let him know, either," Lion assured her.

"Oh, thank God..." Aoi sighed. "You're a real friend. I can't deal with that jerk right now. I have a lot on my plate. This tournament is actually kind of a vacation for me," she told him.

He gave her a funny look. "That bad, huh?"

"Well, let's just say that anything seems like a vacation after someone's tried to kill you," she responded.

"Ah... I think we've all been there," he agreed.

She wasn't sure if he was kidding or not.

"Hey, Lion? Buddy, where are ya?"

Oh, SHIT. It was Brad. Aoi instantly grabbed Lion's arm, dragged him into the room, and shut the door, locking it as well. She pulled him into the living room, placing a finger over her mouth.

"Aoi, what the hell?!" Akira growled. "I'm trying to watch tv. Can't you and Rafale-san go play hide and seek outside?"

"No. Brad Burns is It. This is important. Just shut up," Aoi demanded, her voice barely above a whisper as she placed a hand over his mouth.

It felt like an hour before they stopped hearing Brad's insistent call, and Aoi sighed, flopping down on the couch. "God... he's so creepy..."

"You don't have to share a room with him," Lion shuddered.

"So, what's the deal?" Akira asked her. "Did you guys fuck or something?" he asked Aoi.

"Why? You jealous, Akira-kun?" she asked him, raising a brow. He was being awfully gruff about it.

"... No."

"Huh, then I guess it doesn't matter if I tell you," she said, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Aoi promised him a date if she lost, and she's not paying up," Lion blurted out.

Aoi slapped him.

"Man, you can be a real bitch sometimes..." the blond groaned, rubbing his cheek.

"So can you."

Akira merely laughed. "Is that all? Little Aoi got in over her head?" he teased her. It was nice to see that even the almighty Aoi Umenokouji could bite off more than she could chew.

She picked up a pillow and beat him with it. "You shut up, too! Don't gang up on me! I just wanted to beat the tar out of him! He goaded me into it!" she responded.

Akira grabbed the pillow. She didn't doubt that Brad _had_ goaded her into making that little bet, but he also knew that that probably wasn't his intent. Brad wasn't cunning enough to think that far ahead. He was stupid, but he was also a showman. "You know, it's a really easy fix," he told her.

"It is?" she looked surprised.

"Yeah," he said, setting the pillow down. "I just go out there and tell him that if he even looks at you again, I'll stuff his head up his ass."

Aoi blushed deeply, and so did Lion.

"I fucking knew it!" Lion hissed. "Damn it, I told Jacky that you guys were together, and he didn't believe me! Hah! That moron owes me a hundred bucks!"

Aoi picked up the pillow again. "You were making bets about me?!" she demanded.

"Well, I mean, it was so obvious--"

Aoi began to swing the pillow, but Akira grabbed it from her again.

"First of all, Aoi and I are friends. We've known each other for twenty years. That's most of her life. We're not fucking." Aoi was still blushing. "Secondly, some friend you are. You could've just cheated and asked her."

"Well, that's not very honorable..." he said, then trailed off, realizing the hole he had dug himself into. "Oh, wait..." Akira beamed the pillow into his face. It knocked him onto his back.

He looked at Aoi again. "So... you want me to go out there and tell Jock McBoner to back off?" he offered her.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay... I don't want to bother you or anything. I'll just beat him this time, and that'll set him straight," she answered.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Keep insisting like that, and people will really think that we are dating," she responded, standing up. "Come on, Lion... let's go get your money from Jacky."

"Sweet. Then we can take Sarah and Vanessa to dinner," he agreed, standing up.

"Akira-kun... you coming?" she asked him.

Part of him wanted to, but he shook his head. An entire dinner with Barbie, She-Hulk and Frat Boy? Nah. "You go have fun with your friends. I'll probably go see what Wolf or Taka-Arashi are up to. It's cool," he told her.

"Oh, okay... see you when I get back, maybe?" she said, slipping on her shoes. In the next minute, she was gone, and he was left alone, watching Jeopardy.

--

"No way! Prove it!" Jacky demanded, clenching his fists. Sure, he had enough money to blow a couple hundred on some stupid bets, but he didn't like being wrong.

"Aoi, you sleeping with Akira?" Lion asked her blandly.

"Yup. Missionary position and everything," she responded, crossing one leg over the other. Sarah and Vanessa were getting ready, and it was boring her.

"God dammit... I guess you win..." Jacky said, defeated, pulling his leather wallet from his back pocket. "How the hell did Akira nail you, anyway?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Aoi growled, her lips curling into a frown.

"No offense to you... but you're kinda... clean. And cute. And he's... not," Jacky said awkwardly, handing some bills to Lion.

"What my brother is trying to say is that Akira is gross, and every guy in the World Tournament wants to bang you, Aoi," Sarah said, stepping out of the room she shared with Vanessa.

Aoi blushed. "Th-that's not true..."

"Well... maybe not. But in any case, you look like a good little girl who does her homework and cleans her room and Akira looks like he drives a motorcycle, wears too-tight pants and chain smokes," Sarah said, shrugging.

"What?" Aoi asked, confused.

"Sorry... she watched Cry Baby last night. Tell the chaffeur not to drive past any prisons or she might burst into song," Vanessa warned.

"Um, okay," Aoi agreed, standing up. "You guys ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, let's go," Vanessa said.

"Thanks, big brother!" Sarah teased him as they all stepped out the door.

--

With all of the desserts and drinks, dinner took much longer than expected, and the bill was much larger than the hundred dollars Lion had won from Jacky... but it didn't matter. Lion was rich, something Aoi often forget, because Lion was also kind of a joker.

Aoi was leaning against the door as she fumbled for the key card to open it. She managed to get it out and slide it into the electronic lock, but the door suddenly opened, and she felt herself falling forward...

until she hit something solid and warm, and promptly passed out.

Akira sighed, picking her up and nudging the door shut with his foot. She was light, so carrying her to the bedroom was no big deal...

But it was two a.m.

She had been out with her friends all night, and something told him that they'd been doing more than just having dinner. Her head lolled to the side, against his neck, and he could smell alcohol on her breath... She probably wasn't drunk. She'd probably had just enough to make her very tired, and all of the excitement and food had just pushed her past her limit...

He hoped. She wouldn't be stupid enough to get blitzed the night before the first round of the tournament. She wouldn't be at her best if she had a hangover.

"I'm the stupid alcoholic, not you," he grumbled, setting her down on the mattress. He pulled back the blanket and covered her with it.

She turned onto her side, muttering something.

He raised a brow. "You awake, Aoi?" he asked her.

"Mmm... no..."

"Oh, okay," he said with a wry smile.

"I said... that you're not stupid... and I'm not drunk, either..." she told him quietly.

"Ah, nice to know. Get some sleep," he told her, turning off the light.

"Sleep with me."

He stopped in the doorway. "What?" he asked her.

"Not like that..." she told him, her voice at a normal level. "Just... next to me. Like we were doing before."

He was confused. She was the one that had stopped doing it... so what right did she have to ask for it again? He felt something tugging at him... almost against his will, he started moving back towards the bed. He was literally inable to open his mouth and tell her he wasn't going to.

He was going to.

"Alright..." he said, slipping under the covers. She rolled over again, towards her, fitting easily into his outstretched arms, and something about it made him feel more at ease. He knew his heart was hammering away with her head against his chest, and he wondered if she could feel it. Or hear it. "Better?"

"Yes..." She yawned. "Thank you..."

She was asleep before he could tell her that it was no problem at all.

He hadn't really wanted to sleep on the couch anyway.

--

"Did somebody take your tongue?  
In worries of the words that you couldn't say if they could've saved them from  
But I don't want to sleep without so I bid to you goodnight  
Tonight, sleep tight, my love."

The Velorium Camper I: Faint of Hearts - Coheed and Cambria

--

Author's Note: Well, the tournament was going to start in this chapter, but I figured that it was long enough as is. The tournament will officially start in the next chapter. Which should be up sometime soon. Hopefully. I have no more manuscripts to use as excuses. xD


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: Yay, another update! I'm really trying to get this story finished. Not because I don't like writing; I really, really do. I just don't want to get distracted and stop writing it, like I do with most of my longer stories. On a brighter note, this story now has more than ten reviews, which is better than most of my other stories. xD And the reviews are all really helpful and encouraging. Thanks a bunch, guys._

_Since the tournament is starting in this chapter, more of the characters are going to show up. I had fun writing Lion, Jacky, Sarah and Vanessa... it was a good change of pace from just writing Akira, Aoi and Aoi's family. And yes, Kage-maru will be making his triumphant return. As well as Goh. And Jean! Yes, I do plan on adding him... he looks so cool... :o_

_But anyway, time to start this chapter._

--

**Look Away**

**An Akira/Aoi fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.**

**chapter o8**

--

"The anxious through the calming storm you'll sit as you pray for rain  
I'll touch it if you ask me to but how is up to you  
No I'm not going to let you get up if you struggle willingly  
I'll favor all your form to show you how its been done to me."

The Velorium Camper I: Faint of Heart - Coheed and Cambria

--

The next morning, Aoi was the first to awake... but not with the headache she had anticipated. Then again, she really hadn't had that much to drink. Just a few cocktails that Sarah had almost forced down her throat... Sarah really liked her cosmopolitan martinis. She still felt a bit like a hypocrite, considering how harshly she had acted towards Akira's briefly-lived alcoholism.

She shook her head. Never question small favors. She wiggled out of Akira's arms, which in turn, caused his eyes to blink open.

"Sneaking out?" he questioned, as she sat up.

"Sneaking out of my own hotel room?" she chuckled. "Yeah, right."

"What time is it?" he asked her, sitting up as well, running a hand through his hair.

She looked at the digital clock on the night stand. "Seven in the morning..." she told him, wrapping a lock of hair around her finger. She knew her hair was snarled and that she probably looked horrible... she hadn't changed into pajamas, so she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday.

Then again, so was he, and he didn't look so bad.

She smiled to herself.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

"Nothing..." she said, standing up, and heading for her suitcase.

He didn't believe her. She was obviously thinking about something, but he wasn't going to push. Maybe she was just excited that their first match was going to be today.

"You want the first shower?" he offered.

"Yes, thank you..." she said, picking up a few articles of clothing, along with her shampoo. He was the kind of guy that just used the shampoo the hotel offered, but she clearly didn't like it.

While she took her shower, he rested for a few more minutes.

--

Akira pulled the ends of his starched white headband tight, and double-knotted it. He shook his legs out, and the legs of his pants flapped comfortably. This year, he had chosen a different outfit than his usual karate gi. It was a pair of short hakama, and a sleeveless haori. Despite himself, he was feeling a little excited. Tag teams could mean that it was a whole different ball game. Sure, they still weren't clear on all of the rules, but it was bound to be interesting. According to Aoi and her tournament program, the teams were pretty much what anyone could predict they would be. The most interesting match-ups, in his opinion, were Kage-maru and Jacky, and that the luchadore El Blaze had paired up with someone who was previously unknown in the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Aoi stepped out of the bedroom, dressed to compete as well. Though, her outfit this year was a bit different. It was a loose, bright blue kimono... in lieu of a formal obi sash, it was just a regular sash holding it closed. He knew that she would be able to fight well in it... it was loose enough to allow her to move, and like her usual outfits, it would flow well. But wouldn't it show off her legs... like, a lot?

At least they matched. And they wouldn't be the only ones dressed in traditional Japanese attire. This year marked the triumphant return of the famed sumo wrestler Taka-Arashi. And Kage-maru, with his ninja armor, always looked more ridiculous than anyone else. Well... Wolf's Native American headdress was kind of ridiculous, too.

"You ready to go?" he asked her.

"Well... the matches start in an hour. We don't want to be late," she replied, pulling her hair back into a low ponytail, tying it with a white ribbon.

"Alright, let's go," he said. The spectating arena was actually a part of the hotel, conveniently... maybe that was why such an expensive hotel was chosen.

They left the hotel room, and made their way to the elevators.

"Aoi! Wait up!"

Aoi glanced over her shoulder, to see Sarah rushing towards them, Vanessa walking calmly behind her.

"Hey," she said. "You guys have your match, too?" she asked them.

Akira impatiently jabbed his finger at the call button.

Sarah nodded. "Well, later. Vanessa and I are in the second pool. But my brother is in the first pool, with you guys, so... we decided to catch all of the matches. Not like we had anything else planned, anyway," she explained.

The elevator finally opened up, and Akira eagerly stepped inside, grabbing Aoi's sleeve and dragging her, too.

Vanessa chuckled as she and Sarah followed them.

"Akira... stop it. You're gonna tear it..." she muttered, blushing, as she tugged her sleeve away from his grip. She knew he wasn't all that comfortable around her friends, but he didn't have to embarrass her like that...

"You know who else is in the first pool?" Akira asked Vanessa.

"No... We only knew about you guys and Jacky. Though I think Lion and Brad are in the first pool, too..." she told him.

"What makes you think that?" he asked her.

"Brad tried to invite me to watch their match. I would've punched him in the gut for his density, but... I didn't want to ruin Lion's chances," she laughed.

"Very polite," Akira agreed, smirking. Vanessa Lewis, he could get along with.

"Hopefully, you guys aren't going to face them. I remember last time Brad was in the ring with Aoi..." Vanessa muttered, her fists clenching.

He raised a brow. "Aoi's actually hoping for a rematch against him. Wants to set him straight, she said," he informed her.

"Like she did last time?" Vanessa replied. "I'm just sick of him trying so hard to get laid, while the rest of us are here for a reason."

"I think everyone is sick of Brad Burns. But as long as he's the undefeated European Kick Boxing Champion, no one's going to keep him out of the tournament," Akira said, stepping out of the elevator as it opened on the ground floor.

"Don't I know it..." Vanessa agreed, sighing. "Let's just say that if he makes eyes at me or Sarah again, he won't be seeing for long," she said.

He laughed, but he also knew that she was serious. Vanessa Lewis rivaled any man when it came to brute strength. He'd never had the privilege of fighting her, but at the last tournament, she'd done a number on Lei Fei. And Lei Fei was a Shaolin monk.

"So... if we end up against Jacky, who are you going to cheer for?" Aoi teased Sarah.

"Oooh, tough one. I've known my big brother my whole life, though... so I think I'm gonna have to root for him. Sorry, darling," Sarah apologized.

"Nah, it's okay. Jacky got a great partner... I'm surprised that Hagakure-san teamed up with him. Then again, Jacky's no slouch, either. I hope we're not going up against them. I really want to see how Jacky and Kage-maru will cooperate in the ring. It's going to be... interesting," Aoi replied.

There were signs to direct them to the spectator arena, so they found it without fail. There was a roped off area where only the competitors in the first pool were allowed to be... and since it was getting crowded, they headed in that direction.

"Well... Vanessa and I can't go any further. We're in the second pool. We're going to go get our seats. Good luck!" Sarah said, hugging Aoi quickly.

"Break a leg, champ," Vanessa said, patting Akira's shoulder.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Akira said, heading into the roped-off area, Aoi close behind him.

Jacky was leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. He looked bored, like he'd been there for a while... El Blaze and his partner, a hooded man in long sleeves, were standing off to the side, and Pai and her partner, the young Chinese girl, Eileen, were sitting in chairs. Eileen was chatting animatedly, and Pai looked like she was trying to keep herself awake.

Aoi grabbed his hand and dragged him towards Jacky.

"Hey there, kiddo," he greeted her.

"Hello!" she chirped. "Where's your partner?" she asked him.

"Who knows?" Jacky laughed. "He should be here soon... he's done this as long as I have... We didn't come in late to the game, like you and Lion," he teased her.

"Hey! Vanessa was later," Aoi retorted.

Akira snorted, masking a chuckle.

"So, what's up? You guys pumped up yet?" he asked her.

"Yes. We're ready. This year, I'm going to win," Aoi said, trying to stay calm, but excitement was still creeping into her voice.

Jacky just laughed at her again. "Yeah, we'll see. It's not gonna be easy. For all you know, you could be facing me and Kage-maru first," he reminded her.

"As if," Aoi glanced around, to find that Pai and Eileen had noticed herself and Akira. Pai was glaring at them; she hadn't forgotten the incident at the bar, but Eileen was smiling and waving. Aoi waved back, half to spite Pai and half to be polite to the oblivious young girl.

"Aw, what's wrong? You scared?" the blond taunted.

"Nah, I just don't want to have to knock out such a good team so early in the game," she responded, grinning.

"Thatta-girl," Jacky said appreciatively. "How 'bout you, big guy? Any nerves?"

"Nah, I'm playing it cool," Akira quipped.

"Like a true pro," Jacky said, nodding.

"Hey... there aren't any special rules for this, are there?" Aoi asked, suddenly nervous.

"Not really. Tags can be initiated any way the team chooses," Jacky answered. "But both members can only be in the ring for thirty seconds. Any longer, and you'll get disqualified. If one of you gets knocked out, you both lose. Other than that, it's anything goes," he said.

"Okay... doesn't sound too odd, right, Akira?" she said to her teammate.

Sounded pretty straight forward to him.

--

The matches were chosen at random... the teams were ushered into a large conference room that led to the arena proper fifteen minutes before the first match would start. In there, there were couches and chairs, and a screen that stretched across the wall was available so that they would have their own sky-box views.

It was on this screen that the teams were randomized. The first teams to fight were Eileen and Pai, and El Blaze and his partner, named Siba.

"Ai ya ya... too easy..." the luchadore said proudly, as the four of them walked out the door and into the arena.

The crowd went wild. They could hear the cheering through the speakers as well as through the walls. It was intense... Aoi didn't remember it being like this before. Maybe they were going commercial with the tournament.

It seemed like a lot of effort was put into showcasing this tournament.

Maybe the prize would be bigger, as well. Maybe if she and Akira won, she could use some of the money to keep the dojo afloat while she went back to college... she could hire a maid to take care of the house and cook dinner for Midoriko and Shiroi, and her father could spend less time in the dojo.

Her hands clenched into fists as she sat on the couch, between Akira and Jacky. She would have to win first.

It seemed like forever before the match started, there was so much advertising. When it finally did... they weren't disappointed.

Pai and Eileen's styles complimented each other. Eileen was tricky, constantly mixing up her opponent, while Pai was straight-forward but elegant.

El Blaze was certainly the flashiest of the four. His Lucha Libre style seemed almost surreal... it almost made Aoi dizzy watching it. He did well, nearly knocking Eileen out of the ring, which would've ended the match... if not for Pai's interference. The movie star came flying in with a kick, knocking him back, while her young partner stepped out to take a few breaths.

El Blaze ended up switching out with Siba, but Pai had gained far too much of a lead. Just when Siba thought he was safe, out of the range of her long-reaching kicks, Eileen came in from behind him, tripping him... and he hit the ground. He tried to roll away... but he hadn't been paying close enough attention to his surroundings. He rolled right out of the ring.

It wasn't like any other option would've fared him much better. He had Pai in front of him, and Eileen behind him. If he moved toward one, they would take over while the other left. He had left himself too open, and his partner had responded fast enough, which resulted in their loss.

Eileen and Pai were high-fiving and hugging, and the crowd was absolutely going nuts that a petite woman and a girl who probably wasn't yet out of high school had beaten a luchadore and a burly Arab.

The eight remaining competitors clapped politely, but Aoi was a bit disappointed. She had been silently rooting for El Blaze, if only because she didn't like Pai.

As the four returned, two triumphant and two defeated, the others held their breath as the roulette wheel spun again.

Aoi's heart jumped when herself and Akira's names appeared on the screen... opposite Jeffry McWild and Wolf Hawkfield.

Akira rolled his shoulders back and stood up. He was actually pleased with that match-up. He and Wolf had a friendly rivalry, and it would be nice to jump-start it again. Jeffry on the other hand... his wild style was certainly unique, and watching his matches was always interesting. Participating in one would only be more-so.

"Ah... good luck to you," Aoi said, standing up and bowing to her opponents. "Please do your best."

They both gave her odd looks. After all, they both weighed in at almost three-hundred pounds each, and she was what? A hundred? If that. They already felt guilty that they were going to hit her, even if it was a tournament. It was what sometimes gave Eileen an advantage; most mature adults, even toughened fighters, didn't want to hit a cute teenage girl.

But this was still a tournament.

"Too bad you went with your heart instead of your head... you could've gotten a better partner," Wolf said, shaking his head.

"I asked her, not the other way around. She's the partner I wanted," Akira retorted. "And last year, she placed higher than you did. Don't insult her because of her size or gender."

Jeffry laughed. "Hah! Make sure you save some of that fire for the ring, bub!" He sauntered off towards the arena.

"I meant no offense," Wolf said quickly.

"Yeah, sure. Watch your mouth," Akira told him, brushing past him, leading Aoi by the hand, into the ring.

"You want to go in first?" she asked him.

"If it's Wolf, I'll go in first. If it's Jeffry, I don't care," Akira replied.

"You can go in first. I don't have a preference at all," she agreed.

As soon as they stepped into the ring, the audience began screaming again, and Aoi stole a glance around. She knew she had to concentrate only on the fight... but there were so many people. Some of them, even holding signs... Some were funny, some were flattering, and some were just stating their favorite fighter. Not surprisingly, most of them were cheering for Akira or Wolf. Akira was a previous winner, after all, and Wolf was a champion wrestler in America and Canada.

She took in a few deep breaths... ignore it. Center. Focus. She had to. She couldn't lose again. She wouldn't.

She wouldn't get close enough to taste a win and be denied any longer. She would grasp victory and savor it... after what she had been through this year, she couldn't lose anything again.

"Be careful," she told him, as she walked towards the edge of the ring.

"Don't worry about me. Just focus, and jump in when I need you," he told her.

Obviously.

Wolf accepted the challenge, and the match began.

It was fun to watch, but she kept herself at a distance. Wolf was heavy, slow... relying on grappling. Akira kept him at a distance, moving just fast enough to keep out of his grasp, but conserving energy, because he knew that Jeffry could jump in at any time, at full power. And Jeffry never worried about conserving energy.

But Wolf finally managed to evade one of Akira's palm thrusts. He wasn't going to keep falling for the same tricks. He was an experienced fighter, and he knew the way Akira fought especially well. He grabbed Akira's arm, and she saw both the grin on his face, and the way Jeffry was anxiously stepping towards the ring.

Aoi made it there first. She was faster than all three of them, and her reflexes were arguably better, too. The only things they really had on her were raw power and experience.

"Not so fast!" Her balled fist found its way into Wolf's gut, and he was more surprised than injured... which left him open to her ankle catching his foot, throwing it off balance. "Gotcha!" As he fell, her foot plowed down into his stomach in a stomp. If it wasn't injured before, it certainly would be now.

Akira, who had been dropped from Wolf's grasp, had rolled back, catching his breath. All of that had taken ten seconds... He had to decide, quickly, if it would be himself or Aoi staying in the ring. "Go. Next time you jump in, I'll take a break," he told her. He wanted to keep fighting Wolf as long as he could.

Aoi nodded, and left the ring. In the middle of a fight, thirty seconds was more than enough to save your partner.

Akira stood up, and in a surprise move, actually rushed in on Wolf... baiting an attempt at a grapple. He ducked it, and threw his shoulder at Wolf... followed by his palm, then his knee, and then, his foot.

The battle was now in their favor. Akira let a smile slip.

"I'm coming in!" Jeffry roared, not giving Wolf a choice. He charged in, forcing Wolf to exit. No time to think of a clever attack plan... and he needed to breathe.

"Very well. Come on!" Akira taunted.

Conserving energy was no longer an option. If Jeffry was going to go all out, he would have to as well, just to keep up. But Jeffry was harder to predict, harder to trap... his punches kept Akira on the defense, until finally... he managed to land a hit. And another. And a double-fisted blow to Akira's shoulder.

Aoi came to his aid again. Jeffry's one flaw was the he was too focused on the opponent at hand... almost forgetting that this was a team tournament. Aoi was able to ambush him from behind, kicking the back of his knee and forcing him down... then grabbing his arms and pulling them back, leaving him entirely prone long enough for Akira to recover and punch him.

"It's my turn now," Aoi reminded him.

Akira nodded and left the ring, panting. Twice, she'd saved his ass... he definitely needed a break. Jeffry would be wearing down anyway.

Aoi was much cleverer in the ring than he was. She handled Jeffry's constant offensive barrages with relative ease... she simply waited for that one little gap, the split second when she could hear him breathing in before he threw his fist... and grabbed it. It was impressive, watching someone as small as she was hurl someone two or three times her size over her shoulder and punch him in the ribs.

But Akira had been right about the kimono. Definitely too loose. With every high kick, he got a glimpse of what she was wearing underneath it. He smirked. He'd have to tell her to slap some bloomers on after the match was won.

Jeffry kept charging in, time after time, and soon, Akira could tell that Aoi was beginning to toy with him. Rather than just going for the grapple, she would mix it up... sink below his fists, come up with an uppercut, or just swing her leg around in a sweep kick.

But it was during one of those mix-ups where Aoi had lost herself in her fun, and timed it incorrectly. She was caught by one of Jeffry's knees, and Akira could see her eyes wide in shock.

_Come, react... don't just sit there..._ Akira thought. But she took another hit. She was strong, a worthy competitor... but Jeffry was just so much bigger than her. If she took too many hits, she'd drop like a fly. She wasn't made of stone, and unfortunately, Jeffry's fists were.

Akira made it back into the ring, just as Wolf began to jump in on the other side... no time to be smart. Soon, he was going to have two of them on his back.

He pushed Aoi out of the way, taking one of Jeffry's punches to the chest. Aoi pushed herself up as Wolf grabbed Akira from behind. All four of them were in the ring, and this couldn't last long...

She'd have to end it now, before they lost their lead, and ultimately, the match.

She forced herself up, and as Jeffry smirked, thinking they'd lost, cocking his fist back again, she kicked him... right in the back. It forced him to stumble forward.

Still locked in Wolf's grab, Akira picked his legs up, and then, shot them forward into Jeffry's chest.

The wind was knocked out of the Aboriginal man. Just one more...

Jeffry stumbled back, towards Aoi again. Wolf was going to maul Akira, but it wouldn't matter, because if his partner lost, he lost. Aoi raised her leg again... and nailed Jeffry on the back of the head.

Jeffry's eyes rolled back, and he fell forward, landed with a thump that was audible even over the boisterous crowd.

The bell tolled and the match was finished, decided by knock out.

Akira laid on the mat, and standing above him, Wolf was shaking his head, walking away.

Aoi rushed over to her partner, unable to contain her smile, and helped him up.

He held his side... that last one hurt like hell. Each breath stung, but he was grinning, too.

At the edge of the ring, Wolf turned back around to face them. "Miss Umenokouji," he said.

Aoi looked over at him. "Yes?"

"I was wrong to have underestimated you... It was I who should've been more careful in choosing my partner," he apologized to her. "I won't make either of those mistakes next time."

"Don't worry about it," she said to him. "I know that you won't question Akira's taste again."

"Hey, Wolf..." Akira said. "It was good to fight you again. Next year, it might be one on one," he said hopefully.

Wolf nodded. "Yes... I'd hate to fight the pair of you again," he said, chuckling and shaking his head. "There is always next time."

"Come on... let's go back and rest, while we watch the last match," she said, taking his hand again. The crowd cheered even louder, if that was possible.

As they re-entered the conference room, Jacky, Kage-maru, Brad, and Lion were already standing up, ready to go. After all, they were the only ones left.

"Aoi, baby! Congrats! Maybe we could celebrate our victories together, after Lion and I trash these chumps?" Brad said, winking at her.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Aoi told him.

"But you still owe me that date," he reminded her.

Akira glanced over at him. "She's spoken for. If you don't leave her alone, I'll give you a reason to, since apparently, the word no isn't reason enough."

Brad raised his fists. "You want to fight for her? I've got more than enough fight to take on those chumps and you. Anytime... anytime," he said.

Kage-maru stepped between them before Akira could rush Brad down and beat the snot out of him. "Brad, Miss Umenokouji is not a prize to be won. Your disrespect for women as competitors is frustrating to everyone, not just the women," he told him.

"Yeah, whatever... I respect 'em. I just don't respect their taste in men," he said, still cocky.

Aoi went to sit on the couch, unable to take anymore of it.

"I still be here, baby, when you change your mind... and I know you will..." Brad called to her, as he headed out towards the ring.

Aoi shuddered, and shook her head. "If I ever 'change my mind' about that... someone please, kill me first," she muttered.

The match was about as eventful as it could be... as much as Aoi adored Lion, and she did, considering he was the person she knew best in the tournament (besides Akira, of course), she was rooting for Jacky and Kage-maru to win.

It was actually pretty even. Despite all of his boasting and showmanship, Brad Burns was immensely skilled... on par with Jacky, even. Kage-maru barely had to step in, until Brad switched with Lion. Jacky and Kage-maru, given the differences in their fighting style and personalities, worked together surprisingly well... much better than Lion and Brad did. Lion at least took the tournament seriously; to Brad, it was just a game. One that he was good at, but he didn't care if he won or lost. Lion did care about winning.

Which is why the outcome came as such a surprise to her... and the other competitors watching.

The teams were evenly matched... tied, even. The audience wouldn't notice it, but the other fighters did. Lion suddenly... stopped paying attention to Kage-maru. It wasn't hard to see that his eyes weren't on his opponent. He left himself wide open to an attack, and Kage-maru made the most of his opportunity.

Lion was easily knocked out, and Brad was left cursing and kicking the ground, his swearing faintly audible through the television screen.

Nearly everyone was looking at each other, asking, "What the hell happened to Lion?"

It wasn't like Lion to freeze up. He was used to this. Jacky had just been kidding when he teased Aoi about herself and Lion being new to this; Lion had first entered in the second World Tournament.

When Jacky and Kage-maru returned, they were just as confused as everyone else.

"I've never seen him like that..." Kage-maru mumbled. "It wasn't like he was scared... almost, anxious. Happy, but not quite... he didn't even see me coming at him. He was lost, somewhere else. I don't know what happened in there."

Brad flipped over a chair, cursing, "Stupid fucking kid..." and walked out.

"I have to talk to him," Aoi said. "Could I? Where is he? I think something might be wrong..." she said earnestly.

Jacky shook his head. "They're taking him to the infirmary they have set up. I don't think they'll let you see him until he wakes up, kiddo," he told her.

"Oh..." she looked down. "What should we do, then?"

"What can we do?" Akira said. "We'll just wait a few hours, and then go check on him," he said. Everyone nodded. It was just too unsettling, seeing a seasoned fighter tense up like that. Everyone had always suspected that something was odd with the tournament, especially this time around... and this didn't help.

--

Aoi walked slowly down the hallway, towards the vending machines. The suite, as nice as it was, was devoid of snacks, and she and Akira were hungry.

"Miss Umenokouji!"

She stopped, and turned around, to see Kage-maru walking towards her.

"You can call me Aoi," she told him. "Almost everyone else does."

"Very well, then," he agreed.

"Are you going to the vending machine?" she asked him, raising a brow. "Or did you want to talk to me?"

He nodded. "I did, actually... I'm glad that I finally caught you," he said. "How is Akira?" he asked.

"You can see for yourself. He's fine, now. Not drinking or anything. I think he's moving past his father's death..." she replied.

"I truly am sorry that I... dumped him on you like that," Kage-maru apologized. "But I didn't have many options... I wouldn't have done it if I thought I could devote the time and attention it would take to help him."

"And you thought that I just had enough free time on my hands?" she responded. He balked, and she shook her head. "It's fine... it worked itself out..."

"Oh, yes. I heard about you and Akira," he replied.

"Oh, really?" she said. "What did you hear?" She wouldn't have pegged Kage-maru for a gossiper. Then again, gossip was a great way to gather information, and he was a ninja...

"Jacky told me about the bet he lost... that you and Akira were, ah, romantically involved..." Kage-maru said.

"Lion and I lied to Jacky. Akira and I aren't romantically involved," Aoi told him plainly. "Jacky was just too trusting to think it through. He assumed that I wouldn't lie about it. That was his fault. I'm surprised that so many people are buying into the gossip."

"Well... it did come from the horse's mouth..." Kage-maru replied.

"I guess. It's just kind of... juvenile," Aoi said.

Her sudden silence intrigued him. Why did it feel like she wanted to keep talking about it? "So... you and Akira haven't done anything?" he asked her.

He expected her to tell him that it was none of his business, but she didn't. "We've kissed. Among other things... but we're not involved," she said.

There it was. "Would you like to be involved with Akira?" he asked her.

She sighed. "I don't know... we've known each other forever..."

"But?" It was hanging in the air, he had to ask. Normally, he didn't meddle in the affairs of others, but Aoi and Akira would never have started speaking again if not for him. He felt responsible, in a way. The least he could do was give her someone to talk to.

"But I'm not sure if I love him, or if there's just leftover feelings from when I idolized him as a kid... or if it's just sexual tension," she explained. It felt good to finally have someone to talk to. It was just creepy talking to her teenaged sister about it. She didn't want to think about Midoriko having experience in those kinds of matters.

"I doubt there's any leftover feelings. You've seen him at his worst. That would kill any idolatry," Kage-maru told her.

"Yeah... I guess so..." she said.

"Would you like me to help you figure out if it's just sexual tension?" Kage-maru offered her.

"Yes," she answered, unprepared for what happened next.

Kage-maru lifted her chin up, and kissed her.

--

Aoi was gone for two minutes before he noticed that her wallet was still sitting on the coffee table. "Oh, shit..." he said. She wouldn't be able to pick up anything from the vending machine without money. Akira grabbed the wallet and the card key, and left the hotel suite.

Half-way to the vending machine, his heart stopped, as well as his feet.

He wanted to believe that it was a mirage, a hallucination...

that Aoi wasn't kissing that _damned ninja._

It was just... wrong. He and Aoi had absolutely nothing, when it came down to it, but it still felt like he was losing something as he stood there, watching.

He was jealous. He was angry. He was disappointed... he couldn't look away.

It was so different from the first kiss he had shared with Aoi. It was gentle, tender... innocent. It wasn't a beast ravaging her mouth. It was... the way she deserved to be kissed.

"Fuck... fuck me..." He wanted to punch a wall, anything to relieve the ache in his chest. It felt like a punch harder than he'd ever recieved, but there would be no bruises, no visible scars.

It felt like _everything_. It felt like every punch, every broken bone, every bruise he'd ever recieved, all at once.

He didn't ever think he could feel that way, so completely helpless and broken... even worse than the last time his father's eyes closed.

He turned and walked back towards the room.

If only he had stayed another second, he would have seen Aoi push the ninja away, and take a step back.

--

"What was that about?!" she demanded. She felt slightly violated... when she had asked for his advice, she hadn't asked to be kissed. He hadn't been forceful or anything...

but he wasn't Akira.

Very seriously, he asked her, "Would you sleep with me?"

"No, Akira would--"

"There's your answer," he said simply, smiling at her.

It took her a moment to figure it out. Of course, it made perfect sense. If it was just sexual tension, stemmed from a single kiss, then why wouldn't she feel it for Kage-maru, too? Kage-maru, by most people's standards, was more handsome, certainly more polite... he was even dark and mysterious. If it were just sexual tension, why would her first protest be her fidelty to Akira?

It was not just sexual tension.

"Aoi, don't discredit your feelings for Akira because you've loved him in other ways," Kage-maru told her. "Love grows, love changes... there's no reason why your feelings wouldn't be true. It's clear to me that they are. I've never been so soundly refused," he laughed.

She nodded. "Thank you, Kage-maru..." she glanced to the vending machines. "I guess I should grab some food and get back..." And then, she realized that she had forgotten her wallet. "Or not," she chuckled. "I guess I'll just go back. I'll see you later, Kage-maru," she said to the ninja.

"Glad I could be of service to you, Aoi," he said, watching her walk away. There was a new bounce in her step, he noticed.

She really was in love.

--

Akira heard the door shut, as soft as it was, and his fists clenched against the couch cushions as he stared at the television, purposefully not looking at her.

She walked towards the couch, and he stole a glance. She was smiling, her eyes were bright, her cheeks were flushed... she looked happy. Carefree. Radiant.

_She would._

He tried to hate her for looking that way, but he couldn't.

_**He's so much better. They're all much better.**_

If he were Aoi, he would probably love Kage-maru, as well.

Is that what she had wanted all this time? All the things he had seen in her eyes... the deepest parts of him that she had touched... was that all a lie? Had she just been waiting for something better to come along?

They had never even been friends, had they?

"Akira," she spoke his name, and it was sweet. It was sweet and it stung.

He looked at her, forced the tremors in his throat to still so he could speak calmly, solidly. "Yeah?" he asked.

"I..." her voice was hesitant.

_Go on, tell me. It's alright, I know that you don't want me. __**Don't try and force to love the thought of me.**_

She didn't finish her thought, she sat next to him on the couch, uncomfortably close, the blush on her cheeks deepening.

He could feel her breathing.

She was going to kiss him.

He didn't stop her. Had she done this to Kage-maru? Looked so irresistibly innocent that he couldn't stop her from kissing him?

Her lips were pushing, pleading, against his, but he was still. Accepting, but not reciprocating.

She stopped, and looked at him with worried eyes. "What's wrong?"

_Everything._

"Nothing," he said. Because it was nothing. They had nothing, his feelings were nothing. Nothing pushed her into his arms, nothing made him look down and she that she was still smiling, still blushing, still waiting to kiss him. Nothing made him kiss her.

--

"Apart from the wandering pack  
In this brief flight of time  
We reach for the ones, whoever dare."

Amaranth - Nightwish

--

Author's Note: Omigod, it's six-thirty in the morning, and I have to stop this chapter here. Sorry guys. OMIGOD SO MANY PLOT POINTS. Such a long chapter... YES, ANGST. NO, THIS FIC IS NOT ESCAPING IT. I can finally see some character development in this chapter.

I almost split this chapter up into two parts, but that's cheating. :x

I'm so proud of this chapter... I'm going to pat myself on the back and go to sleep. And write moar when I wake up. Don't forget to review, guys.


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